traverse
v. C1 Advanced US //ˈtɹævɝs// UK //tɹɐvˈɜːs// tra·verse
v. to travel across or through an area.
v. to travel across, over, or through a particular area or obstacle. Transitive; requires a direct object representing the space being crossed.
The hikers plan to traverse the mountain range in three days.
The new bridge allows commuters to traverse the wide river in less than five minutes.
The probe was designed to traverse the lunar surface, collecting soil samples from various craters to determine the chemical composition of the moon's crust.
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. It is more formal than 'cross' or 'go through'.
Pitfall
They traversed through the forest.They traversed the forest.Traverse is a transitive verb that directly takes the area as an object; using 'through' is redundant.