EN

Synonyms for traverse

30 synonyms
3 meanings

verb
noun

Most common

pass over cut across traipse transpass walk travel explore straddle

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Cross

cross, pass over, get across, cut across, thwart, get over, traipse, track, obstruct, cover, transpass

2. Sweep

Other

run, travel, walk, explore, straddle, deny, compass, survey, lustrate

Noun

1. Crosspiece

cross-beam, crosspiece, trave

Other

traversal, criss-cross, transom, cut-through, pass-through, passthru US

Definitions

v. 1
To travel across, to go through, to pass through, particularly under difficult conditions.
He will have to traverse the mountain to get to the other side.
v. 2
To visit all parts of; to explore thoroughly.
to traverse all nodes in a network
n. 1
A route used in mountaineering, specifically rock climbing, in which the descent occurs by a different route than the ascent.

Related words

Word family: traversal traversable
Phrases: traverse table

Forms

Plural: traverses → cross-beams, crosspieces, traves, traversals…
Past participle: traversed
e.g. traversed → crossed, thwarted, traipsed, tracked…

Example sentences

walk Another ten minutes' walk brought us to the shore.
travel It won't be long before we can enjoy space travel.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
traverse		falling
traipse		rising
walk		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: run¹
4 letters: walk¹, deny², span¹
5 letters: cover², cross¹, track¹, sweep¹, trave
6 letters: travel², survey², thwart¹
7 letters: explore², compass², transom², traipse¹
8 letters: obstruct², straddle², lustrate, passthru
9 letters: traversal, transpass
10 letters: crosspiece²

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (deny² = 2 syllables).