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
Margo T. Oge, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
On July 2, three NJ Transit buses collided at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, injuring 12 people and causing significant delays out of the busy transit hub.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 14 July 2025
Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 10 July 2025
The United States Zumwalt-class destroyer USS Michael Monsoor transiting Tokyo Bay before arriving at Yokosuka Naval Base for a scheduled port visit on July 7.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for transit
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Noun
Consumers and corporate customers enjoy benefits including exemption from high purchase taxes, toll charges, permission to use transit lanes, free access to ferries, and even free parking in certain urban spaces.
—Margo T. Oge, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
On July 2, three NJ Transit buses collided at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, injuring 12 people and causing significant delays out of the busy transit hub.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 14 July 2025
Verb
Farmers have to fill out complex paperwork that makes its way through a series of agencies — starting at the local level and transiting through the IRS before a payment or loan is ultimately issued.
—Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 10 July 2025
The United States Zumwalt-class destroyer USS Michael Monsoor transiting Tokyo Bay before arriving at Yokosuka Naval Base for a scheduled port visit on July 7.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 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 21 Jul. 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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