MEANING
To cross or travel through an area or range.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- traverse a valley
- traverse difficult terrain
On the page
They traversed the ridge before the cloud descended.
Word forms
- Base
- traverse
- Past tense
- traversed
- Past participle
- traversed
- Present participle
- traversing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- traverse
- Present continuous
- am/is/are traversing
- Present perfect
- have/has traversed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been traversing
- Past
- traversed
- Past continuous
- was/were traversing
- Past perfect
- had traversed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been traversing
- Future
- will traverse
- Future continuous
- will be traversing
- Future perfect
- will have traversed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been traversing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: traverse; traverses; traversed; traversed; traversing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: traverses.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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