traverse

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To travel across or through a place, especially a wide, rough or hard-to-cross area.

   Grammar: Takes a direct object with no preposition: traverse the desert, not traverse across the desert.

   Patterns

   • traverse something
   • traverse a region

   The expedition took three weeks to traverse the glacier.

   A single footbridge allows hikers to traverse the gorge.

   Migrating whales traverse thousands of miles of open ocean each year.

2. 2verbtransitivefigurative

   To pass over or move through something that is not a physical place, such as a subject, a period or a range of ideas.

   Grammar: Takes an object and is used figuratively: the book traverses a century of history.

   Patterns

   • traverse a period
   • traverse a topic

   Her lectures traverse the whole history of jazz in one afternoon.

   The film's story traverses four generations of one family.

3. 3nouncountablespecialist

   A route or crossing made sideways along a slope, especially while climbing, or a place where such movement is made.

   Grammar: Climbing term; often a traverse across a cliff or mountainside.

   Patterns

   • a traverse across something
   • make a traverse

   The guide pointed out a narrow traverse across the rock face.

   After the steep pitch, there is a long traverse to the ridge.

   The traverse took us an hour because the ice was so thin.

Word forms

Common combinations

traverse a desert

Caravans once needed weeks to traverse the desert.

traverse the globe

The cargo ship traverses the globe in search of ports.

traverse rough terrain

The vehicle is built to traverse rough terrain.

a narrow traverse

We edged along a narrow traverse above the valley.

traverse a ridge

They planned to traverse the ridge before nightfall.

Synonyms and how they differ

cross

Cross is the ordinary everyday word and works for a street or a river, whereas traverse suggests a longer or tougher journey.

journey across

This phrase focuses on the experience of a long trip, while traverse simply states the movement over the ground.

navigate

Navigate stresses finding a way through, such as a maze or a busy city, rather than covering the distance.

span

Span usually describes a bridge or structure that reaches from one side to another, not a person traveling.

Word family

traversal noun

the act of crossing or passing over something

traversable adjective

able to be crossed

traversing noun

the act of moving across, as in a climb

Commonly confused: traverse or transverse?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “traverse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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