English Reference
noun · verb

excursion

n. · v.
US /ɪkˈskɝʒən/ UK /ɛkskˈɜːʃən/ ex·cur·sion UK spelling excursion's, excursion's

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    n.a short journey you take for fun, often with a group of people.

    n.a brief recreational journey or outing, typically taken for pleasure or education.

    Simple

    The hotel organizes a daily excursion to the nearby islands for its guests.

    In context

    The students were looking forward to their weekend excursion to the national park, where they planned to study the local flora.

    Usage

    Often used with the verb 'go on' or 'make'.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Technical Science

    n.when an aircraft accidentally slides or rolls off the runway.

    n.an incident where an aircraft exits the runway surface during takeoff, landing, or taxiing.

    Simple

    The airport was closed for two hours following a minor runway excursion during a heavy storm.

    In context

    The safety board investigated the excursion, citing standing water on the runway and excessive crosswinds as contributing factors.

    Usage

    Usually appears in the compound 'runway excursion'.

    runway excursion
  3. 03 C1 Advanced Formal

    n.a short time when you talk or think about something different from your main topic.

    n.a temporary deviation from a regular course, pattern, or subject of discussion.

    Simple

    After a brief excursion into politics, the professor returned to the main topic of the lecture.

    In context

    The author's lengthy excursion into the history of the town felt unnecessary to the overall plot of the novel.

    digressiondeviationdetour
  4. 04 C2 Proficiency Archaic

    v.to go on a short trip for pleasure.

    v.to engage in a recreational outing or brief journey.

    Simple

    In the summer, the families would excursion to the coast for the fresh air.

    In context

    The Victorian travelers would frequently excursion into the countryside to document rare botanical specimens.

She volunteered for Age Concern Chiswick and was still arranging excursions and activities for the “old people” well into her 80s.

The Guardian· 2 Sept 2026

Another video reveals him on an excursion to Las Vegas with his family.

BBC News· 29 Aug 2026

Borrowed from Latin excursiō (“a running out, an inroad, invasion, a setting out, beginning of a speech”), from excurrere (“to run out”), from ex (“out”) + currere (“to run”). By surface analysis, excurse + -ion.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin excursiō
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated