Meaning & use
journey
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Meanings
nouncountable
An act of traveling from one place to another, especially over some distance.
Grammar: Countable: say a journey, not *a travel. Travel is uncountable and means the general activity.
Patterns
- a long journey
- a journey from somewhere to somewhere
- the journey home
- go on a journey
The journey from the airport takes about an hour by train.
We stopped halfway through the journey to rest and eat.
I read a whole novel during the long journey home.
nouncountablefigurative
A process of change, learning, or personal development that happens over time.
Grammar: Countable; often used with of: a journey of recovery.
Patterns
- a journey of discovery
- a journey of recovery
- someone's journey to somewhere
Learning the language has been a long and enjoyable journey.
Her journey from intern to manager took five years.
Recovery from a serious injury is a slow journey.
verbintransitiveformal
To travel from one place to another, especially over a considerable distance.
Grammar: No object; followed by to, through, or across: they journeyed across the desert.
Patterns
- journey across something
- journey through something
- journey to somewhere
They journeyed for weeks across the mountains.
He journeyed to the capital to look for work.
The family journeyed north before winter came.
Word forms
| third person singular | journeys |
|---|---|
| past tense | journeyed |
| past participle | journeyed |
| -ing form | journeying |
Common combinations
- long journey
- It's a long journey from our house to the coast.
- journey home
- The journey home took twice as long in the rain.
- safe journey
- We wished them a safe journey before they left.
- journey of discovery
- Writing the book became a journey of discovery for her.
- begin a journey
- They began their journey before sunrise to avoid the heat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- trip
- The everyday word, often shorter and including the visit and return; a journey stresses the travel itself.
- voyage
- A long journey by sea or through space; it is not used for ordinary travel on land.
- expedition
- An organized journey with a clear purpose such as exploration or research; it suggests planning and often difficulty.
- travel
- Uncountable general activity of going from place to place; it never means one countable trip.
Commonly confused: journey or journal?
journey vs journal
A journal is a diary or a written record of events, or a serious magazine; a journey is an act of traveling. The similar spelling confuses learners.
Practice
We took the overnight train, so the ___ from Milan to Palermo was comfortable.
Choose one answer.
A train ride overland is a journey. A voyage usually means travel by sea or through space, and an expedition is an organized journey with a special purpose, which a routine train ride is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “journey”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.