# POLL: Your perception of a word's definition **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 7, 2025, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823 "2025-09-07T17:46:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2025, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/21 "2025-09-07T21:43:10Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > > [@Jackmannii](#): > > > > “I don’t want to have to traipse all over hell and gone to find this place.” > > I might hear something like that but it would be meant sarcastically. Which comment is funny to me. @Jackmannii 's usage is the quintessential serious, not sarcastic usage for me. IMO (without benefit of dictionary) to traipse is (idiomatically) to need to make a long and circuitous route with many stops to accomplish what you wish was a nearby one-stop event. e.g. > I’m going to have to traipse to 4 grocery stores in 3 zip codes to get all the ingredients for my special Halloween treats. Uggh. Why can’t my nearby FoodWorld carry all these things? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2025, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/22 "2025-09-07T21:47:03Z")
Did the sarcasm sort of double up, then? Originally meant a long slog, then was used sarcastically to refer to any sort of aimless walking, and then (to people of a certain generation, perhaps) the original meaning was forgotten and _it_ seems sarcastic now? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2025, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/23 "2025-09-07T21:49:16Z")
I assumed for years that it meant “trip gaily along” because I first encountered the word in a Woody Allen humor piece that mentioned “traipsing through a field gathering violets.” ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2025, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/24 "2025-09-07T22:07:48Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > So which definition did you think it was? And which one do you now think it is? I always thought it was the first one (aimless and possibly whimsical). To me, the word always sounded like someone skipping through a field, or wandering aimlessly (but not slowly) between one point and another. I’d never heard definition 2. To me, that suggests “trudge,” not “traipse.” Traipsing had more of a positive or “happy” vibe to me. Honestly, I think the word is experiencing some linguistic drift, based on how many other people agree with some version of my definition than the “real” one. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2025, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/25 "2025-09-07T22:17:07Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Traipsing implies extended walking. No such thing as a short traipse. I dunno; someone can traipse right in like they own the place, and that can be done over any distance. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2025, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/26 "2025-09-07T22:23:55Z")
Collins lists a secondary usage which involves short distances: [https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/traipse](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/traipse) > 1. intransitive verb > > If you talk about people traipsing somewhere, you mean that they are going there or moving around in a way that annoys someone or gets in their way. > > [disapproval] > You will have to get used to a lot of people traipsing in and out of your home. Pretty sure I’ve heard that usage, too. Doesn’t involve either aimlessness or weariness. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2025, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/27 "2025-09-07T22:37:03Z")
Hmm.. no. Mostly i hear “waltz right in” in that context. But not traipse. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/28 "2025-09-07T23:36:12Z")
Different connotations I think. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2025, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/29 "2025-09-07T23:48:23Z")
When I read the word, only one usage popped into my head: children traipsing around the neighborhood. Nothing about that seemed weary or reluctant. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/30 "2025-09-08T00:28:59Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I always thought it was the first one (aimless and possibly whimsical). To me, the word always sounded like someone skipping through a field, or wandering aimlessly (but not slowly) between one point and another. > > I’d never heard definition 2. To me, that suggests “trudge,” not “traipse.” Traipsing had more of a positive or “happy” vibe to me. > > Honestly, I think the word is experiencing some linguistic drift, based on how many other people agree with some version of my definition than the “real” one. I wonder if it’s regional. Most of my childhood reading was written in the UK, which jibes with my understanding of “traipse”. Fwiw, I’ve never associated the word with happiness, or aimlessness. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/31 "2025-09-08T01:08:10Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Just “to go”, not aimlessly or wearily: I agree with that one. — for me, to schlepp is to carry something; not just yourself. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Children traipse as they excitedly move from place to place. So I wouldn’t use traipse for that. For me a person traipsing would either be sauntering or just walking in an ordinary fashion; not running around excitedly. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/32 "2025-09-08T01:15:12Z")
It wouldn’t _have_ to be excitedly, but it wouldn’t be trudging. Perhaps **Q.Q.Switcheroo** has something when he mentioned Woody Allen and “traipsing through a field gathering violets.” That’s just the sort of imagery that comes to mind for me. You wouldn’t collect violets in a field without some degree of enthusiasm. Well, maybe you would if you’re Woody Allen… ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/33 "2025-09-08T01:25:48Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > To me, that suggests “trudge,” not “traipse.” Funnily the definition I found for traipse is a long or tiring walk and the definition of a trudge is a long and tiring walk. So a traipse doesn’t need to be long or tiring, but if it’s both, it’s a trudge. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/34 "2025-09-08T02:38:10Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > > > Children traipse as they excitedly move from place to place. So > > I wouldn’t use traipse for that. I would also never use “traipse” to describe children happily moving about. I don’t traipse when i pick flowers, either. That’s so not in line with how i use the word. Traipsing is between walking and trudging. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/35 "2025-09-08T11:52:45Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > It wouldn’t _have_ to be excitedly, but it wouldn’t be trudging. Perhaps **Q.Q.Switcheroo** has something when he mentioned Woody Allen and “traipsing through a field gathering violets.” That’s just the sort of imagery that comes to mind for me. You wouldn’t collect violets in a field without some degree of enthusiasm. Well, maybe you would if you’re Woody Allen… You wouldn’t collect violets in a field while running around, either; or at least I wouldn’t. You’d be walking around fairly slowly, looking for and selecting the next flower, and picking it carefully so as to not damage it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/36 "2025-09-08T12:03:18Z")
I voted the first, but that definition isn’t quite how I feel “traipse.” For me it doesn’t suggest whimsy. It does suggest some amount of aimlessness or wandering, or at least not a defined path. It also suggests a higher-than-normal amount of effort. It does not suggest what I’d call “reluctance,” though. Maybe an element of “weariness” works. So somewhere between the first two definitions, and I voted first because it’s slightly more shaded that way. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/37 "2025-09-08T13:58:29Z")
I think this is the closest to how I use it. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/38 "2025-09-08T19:18:59Z")
In my mind there’s a sense of deliberateness, so not aimlessly. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/39 "2025-09-08T20:25:29Z")
My personal image of ”traipsing” Includes a carefree attitude, a frolicsome pace, and no implication for or against purpose. While the dictionary definitions seem to imply some unpleasantness, the slang and phrase dictionaries agree with me. We already have wander, meander, roam, and others for the first sense, and trudge, slog, and maybe hike for the second. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823/40 "2025-09-08T20:31:38Z")
OED says “tramp or trudge wearily,” but their examples do not really support this. The examples all seem more like “wander about without a specific purpose, over time.” Sure, you’d be tired afterwards, but not necessarily during. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-perception-of-a-words-definition/1022823.md?page=3)