tran·sit
ˈtran(t)-sət 
ˈtran-zət
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
transited; transiting; transits
: to make a transit
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
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
Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2025
The spacecraft encountered no significant problems on its transit to the Moon, its final descent, or during surface operations.
—Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025
Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
For the first time since the late 1800s, the planet of dreams will transit your sign, encouraging you to trust your inner voice and embrace a path toward your spiritual enlightenment.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for transit
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Noun
In a Tuesday letter addressed to MTA Chairman Janno Lieber, Duffy demanded reams of information from the transit agency on assaults, fare evasion and subway surfing, as well as the MTA’s efforts to curb those problems.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2025
The spacecraft encountered no significant problems on its transit to the Moon, its final descent, or during surface operations.
—Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
The French aircraft carrier then transited northward and reached the waters south and east of the Philippines—the Celebes Sea and the Philippine Sea—for a large-scale trilateral exercise with aircraft carriers sent by the United States and Japan from February 7 to 18.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
For the first time since the late 1800s, the planet of dreams will transit your sign, encouraging you to trust your inner voice and embrace a path toward your spiritual enlightenment.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for transit
Cite this Entry
“Transit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transit. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
transit
1 of 2 noun
tran·sit
ˈtran(t)s-ət
ˈtranz-
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
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