Synonyms

transect

American

[tran-sekt] / trænˈsɛkt /

verb (used with object)

to cut across; dissect transversely.

transect British

verb

(tr) to cut or divide crossways

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

a sample strip of land used to monitor plant distribution, animal populations, etc, within a given area

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

transection noun

Etymology

Origin of transect

1625–35; tran(s)- + Latin sectus, past participle of secāre to cut, sever ( section )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

About an hour west of Twin Lake the next day, Gilbert sat with Sam Myers, who runs a fourth-generation wheat farm that the B2H line would transect.

From Salon • Aug. 17, 2025

Along the transect lies some of the world’s richest biodiversity.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 2, 2023

Microplastics were found in higher abundances nearer land mass at the southern end of the transect and northwards towards the ice edge, recording 0.015 microplastics m-3 during both transect legs.

From Science Daily • Oct. 17, 2023

Several trails, including the ADA-accessible Centennial Fields Park Trail, transect the environment.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 7, 2023

Specimens from a transect of southeastern Sonora show intergradation between Perognathus goldmani and P. artus.

From Conspecificity of two pocket mice, Perognathus goldmani and P. artus by Hall, E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023