journey

1 of 2

noun

jour·​ney ˈjər-nē 

plural journeys

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

• expedition
• passage
• peregrination
• travel(s)
• trek
• trip

Verb

• peregrinate
• pilgrimage
• tour
• travel
• trek
• trip
• voyage

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

Noun

Build trust through brutal honesty about your journey. —Jodie Cook, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

Their journey of friendship and rivalry is the emotional core of a story that is startlingly political, a leap made effectively by Jeff Goldblum’s dodgy, smarmy and doddering Wizard, who’s ably assisted by the darkly dangerous aide de camp Michelle Yeoh. —Steven Gaydos, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024

Verb

Over a lifetime, Sacks would journey far—from gay, bohemian California to a monastic life in New York. —Michael S. Roth, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2024

After the festivities, guests are welcome to take it easy on Sunday and enjoy the ambiance of the festival’s final event—A Southern Jazz Brunch—before heading to the airport to journey back home. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

journey

1 of 2 noun

jour·​ney ˈjər-nē 

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.