journey

1 of 2

noun

jour·​ney ˈjər-nē How to pronounce journey (audio)
plural journeys
Synonyms of journeynext
1
: something suggesting travel or passage from one place to another
the journey from youth to maturity
a journey through time
2
: an act or instance of traveling from one place to another : trip
a three-day journey
going on a long journey
3
chiefly dialectal : a day's travel

journey

2 of 2

verb

journeyed; journeying

intransitive verb

: to go on a journey : travel

transitive verb

: to travel over or through
journeyer noun

Did you know?

The Latin adjective diurnus means “pertaining to a day, daily”; English diurnal stems ultimately from this word. When Latin developed into French, diurnus became a noun, jour, meaning simply “day” The medieval French derivative journee meant either “day” or “something done during the day,” such as work or travel. Middle English borrowed journee as journey in both senses, but only the sense “a day’s travel” survived into modern usage. In modern English, journey now refers to a trip without regard to the amount of time it takes. The verb journey developed from the noun and is first attested in the 14th century.

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of journey in a Sentence

Noun a long journey across the country She's on the last leg of a six-month journey through Europe. We wished her a safe and pleasant journey. Verb She was the first woman to journey into space. an intense yearning to journey to distant lands
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Catch up on Joan's journey:What time is 'Golden Bachelorette' on? —Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024 After an eight-day journey, the lander, referred to as the IM-1, Nova-C or Odysseus, completed its mission. —Lily Kepner, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
The automobile association estimates that 79.9 million travelers will journey from home this Thanksgiving — a 1.7 million increase from last year. —Ben Kesslen, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024 Board the Veterans Day Flyer and journey through the Texas Hill Country Enjoy a nostalgic train ride on the Bertram Flyer. —Ana Gutierrez, Austin American-Statesman, 8 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for journey 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French jurnee day, day's journey, from jur day, from Late Latin diurnum, from Latin, neuter of diurnus — see journal entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of journey was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near journey

journal voucher

journey

journey-bated

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Journey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journey. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

journey

1 of 2 noun
jour·​ney ˈjər-nē How to pronounce journey (audio)
plural journeys
: travel from one place to another

journey

2 of 2 verb
journeyed; journeying
: to go on a journey
journeyer noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English journey "a trip, travel," from early French journee "day's work, day's journey," from jour "day," derived from Latin diurnus "of a day, daily," from dies "day" — related to diary, journal

Word Origin
The Latin word dies means "day," and diurnus means "of a day." From the word diurnus came the early French jour, meaning "day," and journee, meaning "a day's work, a day's travel." Journee was borrowed into Middle English with both of its meanings, but only the second one, "a day's travel," came into widespread use. The modern form journey now refers to travel without regard to the amount of time taken. The English word journal can also be traced back to the Latin dies. From the adjective diurnus, the word diurnalis, meaning "daily," was formed. This was taken into French as journal. In this form it was borrowed into Middle English. It was at first also used to mean "daily," but it is now found only as a noun in English.

More from Merriam-Webster on journey

Nglish: Translation of journey for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of journey for Arabic Speakers

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