traverse

v. to move across or through an area, especially when the journey is long or difficult.

v. to travel across, over, or through a particular area or terrain. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the space being crossed.

“The explorers had to traverse a vast desert to reach the ancient city.”

“The research team spent three weeks attempting to traverse the rugged mountain range before the winter snows blocked the high passes.”

Formal

v. to turn a large gun or camera sideways to point it at a target.

v. to rotate a gun, turret, or sensor around a vertical axis to align it with a target.

“The tank commander ordered the crew to traverse the turret toward the trees.”

“The automated defense system can traverse three hundred and sixty degrees in seconds to intercept incoming projectiles.”

Technical

v. to officially say that a statement in a legal case is not true.

v. to formally deny an allegation of fact made by the opposing party in legal pleadings.

“The lawyer chose to traverse the witness's claim during the trial.”

“The defense filed a motion to traverse the prosecution's primary evidence, arguing that the timeline presented was physically impossible.”

Formal · Technical

n. a path or route that goes across something, like a mountain or a building.

n. a route or path that crosses a particular area; in architecture, a gallery or loft providing communication across a large building.

“The narrow traverse along the cliff edge was dangerous in the wind.”

“The architect included a high traverse in the cathedral design to allow maintenance crews to access the upper windows safely.”

Formal

n. a series of measured lines used to map an area.

n. a series of lines of known length and direction used in surveying to determine the relative positions of points.

“The surveyors completed the traverse to mark the boundaries of the new park.”

“Errors in the initial traverse led to a significant discrepancy in the land deeds, requiring a complete resurvey of the valley.”

Technical