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Meaning & use

transport

verb, noun·Everyday

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UK/trænˈspɔːt/
US/trænˈspɔːrt/

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive

    To carry people or goods from one place to another, usually over a long distance.

    Grammar: Takes an object: transport goods.

    Patterns

    • transport something to somewhere
    • transport someone by something

    Trucks transport fresh fruit from the farms to the city.

    The ferry can transport two hundred passengers across the bay.

    Prisoners were transported overseas by ship.

  2. verbtransitiveliteraryfigurative

    To fill someone with such strong feeling or imagination that they seem to be somewhere else.

    Grammar: Often used with an adverbial: transport someone back to the past.

    Patterns

    • transport someone to somewhere
    • be transported by something

    The old song transported her back to her childhood kitchen.

    Readers are transported to another century by the vivid writing.

    The music transported the audience far from the noisy city.

  3. noununcountableBritish

    The system or vehicles used for moving people and goods.

    Grammar: British English; American English often uses transportation: public transport.

    Patterns

    • public transport
    • means of transport

    Public transport is cheap and frequent in this city.

    We have no transport to the airport tomorrow.

    The cost of transport adds a lot to the price.

  4. noununcountableformal

    The act of carrying people or goods from one place to another.

    Grammar: Formal; often followed by of: the transport of goods.

    Patterns

    • the transport of something

    The transport of live animals is strictly regulated.

    Rail transport of coal fell last year.

    Damage occurred during transport.

Word forms

third person singulartransports
past tensetransported
past participletransported
-ing formtransporting

Common combinations

public transport
She takes public transport to work.
transport goods
The company transports goods across Europe.
means of transport
A bicycle is a cheap means of transport.
transport costs
Transport costs rose with the price of fuel.
be transported by
The injured hiker was transported by helicopter.
transport links
The town has good transport links to the capital.

Synonyms and how they differ

carry
Carry is the everyday word and can describe small loads, while transport suggests larger or longer movements.
convey
Convey is more formal and also means to communicate an idea.
ship
Ship originally meant sending by water, but it now covers sending goods by any method, especially commercially.
haul
Haul suggests dragging a heavy load with effort.

Word family

transportation noun
American term for the system or act of moving things
transporter noun
a vehicle or person that moves goods
transportable adjective
able to be moved
transported adjective
carried away by strong emotion

Commonly confused: transport or transpose? transport or transportation?

transport vs transpose

Transpose means to swap the order of things or move a piece of music to another key; it does not mean to carry goods.

transport vs transportation

In American English transportation is the usual noun for the system, where British English often says transport.

Practice

The company uses refrigerated trucks to ___ fish from the harbor to supermarkets.

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