transit

1 of 2

noun

tran·​sit ˈtran(t)-sət  ˈtran-zət 

1

a(1)

: conveyance of persons or things from one place to another

(2)

: usually local transportation especially of people by public conveyance

also : vehicles or a system engaged in such transportation

b

: an act, process, or instance of passing through or over

c

: change, transition

2

a

: passage of a celestial body over the meridian of a place or through the field of a telescope

b

: passage of a smaller body (such as Venus) across the disk of a larger (such as the sun)

3

: a theodolite with the telescope mounted so that it can be transited

transit

2 of 2

verb

transited; transiting; transits

intransitive verb

: to make a transit

transitive verb

1

a

: to pass over or through

b

: to cause to pass over or through

2

: to pass across (a meridian, a celestial body, or the field of view of a telescope)

3

: to turn (a telescope) over about the horizontal transverse axis in surveying

Synonyms of transit

Verb

• cross
• traverse
• travel
• walk
• navigate
• follow

Examples of transit in a Sentence

Noun

the problems of urban transit

Verb

once you transit that stretch of dense woods, the hiking should be much easier

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The transit or landing of planes is allowed only in case of an emergency, the newspaper said. —Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026

Day 1 will be the launch with Day 2 through Day 4 being outbound transit, or the spacecraft heading towards the moon. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026

Verb

Another bulk carrier, the Mac Hope, identifying itself as sailing under Chinese ownership and with a Chinese crew, also transited the strait on Monday, MarineTraffic data show. —Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026

Closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would prevent tankers in the Persian Gulf from transiting the Suez Canal or reaching the Suez-Mediterranean Pipeline, a 200-mile-long pair of pipes that send crude oil across Egypt from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. —Stephen J. Beard, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English transite, from Latin transitus, from transire to go across, pass

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing transit

• in transit
• mass transit
• public transit
• rapid transit
• transit camp
• transit visa

Rhymes for transit

• paratransit

Kids Definition

transit

1 of 2 noun

tran·​sit ˈtran(t)s-ət  ˈtranz- 

1

: an act, process, or example of passing through or over : passage

2

: the transporting of persons or things from one place to another

goods lost in transit

3

: local transportation of people in public vehicles

also : the vehicles or system used in such transportation

4

: a surveyor's instrument for measuring angles

transit

2 of 2 verb

: to pass or cause to pass over, through, or across

Etymology

Noun

from Latin transitus "passage, journey," from transire "to go across, pass," from trans- "across, beyond" and ire "to go" — related to issue, itinerary