traipse

[ treyps ]

verb (used without object)

, traipsed, traips·ing.

1. to walk or go aimlessly or idly or without finding or reaching one's goal:

   We traipsed all over town looking for a copy of the book.

verb (used with object)

, traipsed, traips·ing.

1. to walk over; tramp:

   to traipse the fields.

noun

1. a tiring walk.

traipse

/ treɪps /

verb

1. intr to walk heavily or tiredly

noun

1. a long or tiring walk; trudge

Word History and Origins

Origin of traipse¹

First recorded in 1585–95; earlier trapse, unexplained variant of trape, of disputed origin; perhaps obscurely akin to tramp

Word History and Origins

Origin of traipse¹

C16: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

A traipse to London is no longer a necessity.

From BBC

In his spare time, he was a caretaker at a refuge for bighorn sheep, traipsing into the woods in the middle of the night to check on the water supply.

From Los Angeles Times

He likely traipsed through poison oak while out in the wilderness and the swelling in his paws had not subsided as of Thursday, Dawes said.

From Los Angeles Times

The staging, which can seem cluttered and breathless in the early going, traipses through these seedy locales with a theatrical swiftness that captures the milieu that bred the syncopated rhythm of the Jazz Age.

From Los Angeles Times

We know that doesn’t happen from the first scene of the story, which rolls out afterward as a traipse through The Captain's memory.

From Salon

Related Words

• amble
• lumber
• meander
• plod
• prance
• roam
• stroll
• strut
• trudge
• wander

More About Traipse

Where does the word traipse come from?

Traipse generally means “to wander aimlessly or idly while never reaching one’s goal,” as in Last night, they traipsed all over town trying to find a store that was still open.

Well, you’ll certainly wander aimlessly if you try to find the origin of the word traipse.

The word is first recorded around 1585–95. It could be related to the verb tramp, and one can definitely traipse, or “walk over,” something, such as fields or flowers. An alternative theory connects traipse to trespass, which originates from French.

Traipse isn’t alone: it finds lots of company in other English words that seem simple but whose origins are not. Discover more in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From.”

Did you know … ?

Traipse isn’t the only word to mean a specific kind of walking motion. Words that are close in meaning to traipse include wander, roam, meander, and amble. Traipse can be confused for other words for ambulatory movements, such as shamble, stroll, skip, step, shuffle, stomp, trot, and prance.

Looking for more synonyms for traipse? Why not head on over to Thesaurus.com for our many synonyms for the word walk. Don’t dawdle now … “step on” it!