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
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
David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
These include the local transit system, submarine manufacturers, an operator of nuclear power plants, a defense contractor, and a chain of auto body shops.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Colin Bedell, Them., 30 May 2025
The program allows Copa Airlines passengers transiting through Panama City's Hub of the Americas to extend their stay in the country for up to seven days at no additional cost on their airfare, giving them time to visit Bocas del Toro and beyond.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for transit
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Noun
Just as local transit has begun to attract more riders — including higher-income riders who aren’t dependent on transit to get around — the transit system is facing a budget crisis that threatens that progress.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
These include the local transit system, submarine manufacturers, an operator of nuclear power plants, a defense contractor, and a chain of auto body shops.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Verb
Venus, when direct, typically transits one sign for three weeks — but since the retrograde slowed things down, this week marks real forward motion in our relational lives.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 30 May 2025
The program allows Copa Airlines passengers transiting through Panama City's Hub of the Americas to extend their stay in the country for up to seven days at no additional cost on their airfare, giving them time to visit Bocas del Toro and beyond.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for transit
Cite this Entry
“Transit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transit. Accessed 4 Jun. 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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