voyageur

noun

voya·​geur ˌvȯi-ə-ˈzhər How to pronounce voyageur (audio) ˌvwä-yä- How to pronounce voyageur (audio)
: a man employed by a fur company to transport goods to and from remote stations especially in the Canadian Northwest

Examples of voyageur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Both a Parks Canada national historic site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rideau meanders through the Ontario backcountry along a route pioneered centuries ago by First Nations people and French voyageurs. — Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 Viewing by Voyageur Canoe Narwal Northern Adventures offers a unique early-season aurora-viewing experience from a 29-foot, 12-person voyageur canoe. — Debbie Olsen, Travel + Leisure, 18 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Canadian French, from French, traveler, from voyager to travel, from voyage voyage, from Old French voiage, veiage

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of voyageur was in 1793

Rhymes for voyageur

See All Rhymes for voyageur

Browse Nearby Words

voyageur
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Voyageur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/voyageur. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
number-twelve-balloon
12-Letter Words Quiz A dozen words, a dozen letters each.
See All