lexicow

transit

/ˈtrænzɪt//ˈtrænzɪt/·noun, verb
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Definition

Transit is passage — the act of crossing from one place to another, or the system that carries people while they do it. From the Latin transire, 'to go across,' it names the in-between: goods in transit, a city's transit network, a planet in transit across the face of a star. The word lives in motion, in the stretch of journey between origin and destination. Whatever is in transit has left where it began but not yet arrived; it belongs, for now, to the road.

Examples

  • The parcel was lost somewhere in transit between the warehouse and the port.
  • A good public transit system can alleviate the traffic that chokes a growing city.
  • Astronomers watched the planet transit the bright disc of its star, a brief crossing that let them discern its size.

Collocations

in transit·public transit·transit system·rapid transit·transit time

Synonyms

passage·transport·transfer·movement·conveyance

Antonyms

standstill·arrival

Word family

transition (noun)·transitional (adjective)·transitory (adjective)

In TOEFL & IELTS

Two senses to keep apart: the phrase in transit (in the middle of a journey — common in reading passages about trade and logistics) and public / mass transit (transport systems — a staple of IELTS essays on cities and the environment). Pair it with system, network, time, and hub. The related transition (a change from one state to another) is a different, very high-frequency word — don't blur them.