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
Synonyms
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
Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 6 Jan. 2025
In Europe, Madrid offers a compelling case study in overcoming such challenges through cost-efficient transit construction.
—Ankit Mishra, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Marlon González, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025
What To Know On December 22 last year, three frigates and three Coast Guard ships from China transited the Miyako Strait westward from the Philippine Sea to the East China Sea, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Wednesday, which cited sources close to the Japanese government.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for transit 
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Noun
Annapolis transit services will operate on a Saturday schedule, including the State Shuttle.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 6 Jan. 2025
In Europe, Madrid offers a compelling case study in overcoming such challenges through cost-efficient transit construction.
—Ankit Mishra, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
Trump criticized charges to transit the Panama Canal and suggested the U.S. could take it back, something Panama’s president emphatically rejected.
—Marlon González, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025
What To Know On December 22 last year, three frigates and three Coast Guard ships from China transited the Miyako Strait westward from the Philippine Sea to the East China Sea, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Wednesday, which cited sources close to the Japanese government.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for transit
Dictionary Entries Near transit
Cite this Entry
“Transit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transit. Accessed 18 Jan. 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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