Meaning & use
pilgrimage
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablereligion
A journey to a holy place made for religious reasons.
Grammar: Countable: make a pilgrimage, go on pilgrimages.
Patterns
- a pilgrimage to somewhere
- go on a pilgrimage
Many Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lives.
They walked a pilgrimage to the cathedral in Santiago.
The village welcomes thousands on its yearly pilgrimage.
nouncountablefigurative
A trip to a place that matters deeply to you, such as one linked to a hero or your past.
Grammar: Figurative use without religion: a pilgrimage to a stadium.
Patterns
- a pilgrimage to somewhere
- make a pilgrimage
Fans make a pilgrimage to the singer's old house.
She took a pilgrimage back to her childhood town.
Walking the trail felt like a pilgrimage for the writer.
verbintransitiverare
To travel to a sacred or meaningful place on a pilgrimage; rare in modern English.
Grammar: Rare verb; people usually say go on a pilgrimage.
Patterns
- pilgrimage to somewhere
Thousands pilgrimaged to the shrine each spring.
He pilgrimaged to the mountain monastery.
The faithful pilgrimaged on foot.
Word forms
| plural | pilgrimages |
|---|
Common combinations
- make a pilgrimage
- Every summer they make a pilgrimage to the coast.
- go on a pilgrimage
- She went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
- annual pilgrimage
- The annual pilgrimage draws visitors from many countries.
- religious pilgrimage
- The hill is the destination of a religious pilgrimage.
- pilgrimage site
- The temple is a famous pilgrimage site.
Synonyms and how they differ
- journey
- Journey is a general word for any trip and lacks the sense of devotion in pilgrimage.
- trek
- Trek stresses a long, difficult walk and has no religious meaning.
- expedition
- Expedition suggests an organized trip with a purpose such as exploration.
- hajj
- Hajj is the specific Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, so it is narrower than pilgrimage.
Word family
- pilgrim noun
- a person who makes a pilgrimage
- pilgrims noun
- the plural form
- pilgrimages noun
- the plural of pilgrimage
Commonly confused: pilgrimage or pilgrim?
pilgrimage vs pilgrim
A pilgrim is the traveler, while pilgrimage is the journey itself.
Practice
Which sentence shows the figurative meaning of pilgrimage?
Choose one answer.
Only the stadium trip is non-religious but deeply meaningful. The others are religious journeys.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pilgrimage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.