to extend across or over: A bridge traverses the stream.
to go up, down, or across (a rope, mountain, hill, etc.) at an angle: The climbers traversed the east face of the mountain.
to ski across (a hill or slope).
to cause to move laterally.
to look over, examine, or consider carefully; review; survey.
to go counter to; obstruct; thwart.
to contradict or deny.
Law.
(in the law of pleading) to deny formally (an allegation of fact set forth in a previous pleading).
to join issue upon.
to turn and point (a gun) in any direction.
verb (used without object),trav·ersed,trav·ers·ing.
to pass along or go across something; cross: a point in the river where we could traverse.
to ski across a hill or slope on a diagonal.
to turn laterally, as a gun.
Fencing. to glide the blade toward the hilt of the contestant's foil while applying pressure to the blade.
noun
the act of passing across, over, or through.
something that crosses, obstructs, or thwarts; obstacle.
a transversal or similar line.
a place where one may traverse or cross; crossing.
Architecture. a transverse gallery or loft of communication in a church or other large building.
a bar, strip, rod, or other structural part placed or extending across; crosspiece; crossbar.
a railing, lattice, or screen serving as a barrier.
Nautical.
the zigzag track of a vessel compelled by contrary winds or currents to sail on different courses.
each of the runs in a single direction made in such sailing.
Fortification.
a defensive barrier, parapet, or the like, placed transversely.
a defensive barrier thrown across the terreplein or the covered way of a fortification to protect it from enfilade fire.
Gunnery. the horizontal turning of a gun so as to make it point in any required direction.
Machinery.
the motion of a lathe tool or grinding wheel along a piece of work.
a part moving along a piece of work in this way, as the carriage of a lathe.
Surveying. a series of intersecting surveyed lines whose lengths and angles of intersection, measured at instrument stations, are recorded graphically on a map and in numerical form in data tables.Compare closed traverse.
Law. a formal denial of some matter of fact alleged by the other side.
adjective
lying, extending, or passing across; transverse.
Origin of traverse
1250–1300; (v.) Middle English traversen<Middle French traverser to cross <Late Latin trānsversāre, derivative of Latin trānsversus (see trans-, versus); (noun) Middle English travers(e) <Middle French traverse (<Latin trānsversa something lying across, feminine of trānsversus) and travers (<Latin trānsversum passage across, neuter of trānsversus)
As Ellie Mae’s numbers show, the convergence of the lockdown and bargain home loans is luring customers to traverse far more of the passage online.
First he took energy trading and the NYSE electronic. Now Jeff Sprecher of ICE shares his plans to digitize your mortgage|Shawn Tully|September 2, 2020|Fortune
Big city races are off the cards for 2020, which helps explain the explosion in runners trying to clock the fastest known time traversing everything from the Appalachian Trail to the road through Central Park.
At Long Last, Baseball’s (Almost) Back|Sarah Shachat|July 21, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
More than 800 years ago, Indigenous people in South America traversed more than 7,000 kilometers of open sea to reach eastern Polynesia, a new study suggests.
South Americans may have traveled to Polynesia 800 years ago|Bruce Bower|July 8, 2020|Science News
That might allow them to traverse slopes of soft lunar soil near the moon’s poles.
Wiggly wheels might help rovers plow through loose lunar soils|Maria Temming|June 26, 2020|Science News For Students
He was known to traverse Brooklyn to visit somebody a decade older than himself in a nursing home.
How Brooklyn’s First Ice Cream Girl Fought City Hall–and Won|Michael Daly|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The heat makes beads of sweat run down your armpits and traverse your hips before dampening your drawers.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Extend your Fourth of July vacation with a trip to Traverse City, also known as the “cherry capital of the world.”
America’s Best Summer Food Festivals|Lonely Planet|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Elizabeth Banks stars as a woman who has to traverse a city after losing her wallet post-one-night stand.
Why We Need to Stop Using the Phrase ‘Walk of Shame’|Amanda Marcotte|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maps are enormous, and players have to traverse huge amounts of terrain.
‘Killzone: Shadow Fall’ Review: Oh My God, This PlayStation 4 Game Is Beautiful|Alec Kubas-Meyer|November 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We have a long and very dreary tract to traverse before we reach the Gariep—three hundred miles and more, I should think.
Hair-Breadth Escapes|H.C. Adams
The very cats of the Convent could not traverse its grounds more silently.
Gwen Wynn|Mayne Reid
Horizontally, the head and body traverse an arc of about 100°; vertically, they traverse an arc slightly less than 180°.
Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon|Jon C. Barlow
In one night they had traveled a distance coming back that required two days and nights to traverse in the other direction.
The Wonder Island Boys: The Mysteries of the Caverns|Roger Thompson Finlay
But they made their escape on the way down to Traverse des Sioux.
Mary and I|Stephen Return Riggs
British Dictionary definitions for traverse
traverse
/ (ˈtrævɜːs, trəˈvɜːs) /
verb
to pass or go over or back and forth over (something); cross
(tr)to go against; oppose; obstruct
to move or cause to move sideways or crosswise
(tr)to extend or reach across
to turn (an artillery gun) laterally on its pivot or mount or (of an artillery gun) to turn laterally
(tr)to look over or examine carefully
(tr)lawto deny (an allegation of fact), as in pleading
(intr)fencingto slide one's blade towards an opponent's hilt while applying pressure against his blade
mountaineeringto move across (a face) horizontally
(tr)nauticalto brace (a yard) fore and aft
noun
something being or lying across, such as a transom
a gallery or loft inside a building that crosses it
maths another name for transversal (def. 1)
an obstruction or hindrance
fortificationsa protective bank or other barrier across a trench or rampart
a railing, screen, or curtain
the act or an instance of traversing or crossing
a path or road across
nauticalthe zigzag course of a vessel tacking frequently
lawthe formal denial of a fact alleged in the opposite party's pleading
surveyinga survey consisting of a series of straight lines, the length of each and the angle between them being measured