Definition of the word voyage

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English viage, borrowed from Anglo-Norman viage and Old French voiage, from Latin viaticum. The modern spelling is under the influence of Modern French voyage. Doublet of viaticum.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈvɔɪ.ɪd͡ʒ/

Noun[edit]

voyage (plural voyages)

  1. A long journey, especially by ship.
    • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 126, column 1:

      There is a Tide in the affayres of men, / Which taken at the Flood, leades on to Fortune: / Omitted, all the voyage of their life, / Is bound in Shallowes, and in Miſeries.

    • 1621 (first performance), John Fletcher, “The Wild-Goose Chase; a Comedy”, in Fifty Comedies and Tragedies. [], [part 1], London: [] J[ohn] Macock [and H. Hills], for John Martyn, Henry Herringman, and Richard Marriot, published 1679, →OCLC, Act V, scene vi, page 467, column 2:

      I love a Sea voyage and a bluſtring tempeſt; […]

    • 1880, Richard Francis Burton, Os Lusíadas, volume I, page 23:

      «And as their valour, so you trow, defied
      on aspe’rous voyage cruel harm and sore,
      so many changing skies their manhood tried,
      such climes where storm-winds blow and billows roar[.]»

  2. (archaic) A written account of a journey or travel.
    • 1690, “The Preface to the Reader”, in A Full and True Relation of the Great and Wonderful Revolution That Hapned Lately in the Kingdom of Siam in the East-Indies, London: Randal Taylor, page v:

      I cannot learn what his Name was, unleſs by the Inſcription of the Letters he ſent to the Pope, and to the French King in the Year 1688, mentioned in the ſecond Voyage of Father Tachard []

  3. (obsolete) The act or practice of travelling.

Synonyms[edit]

  • adventure
  • exploration
  • expedition
  • excursion
  • journey
  • tour
  • vacation

Derived terms[edit]

  • maiden voyage
  • voyage of the damned

[edit]

  • envoy

Translations[edit]

long journey; especially by ship

  • Arabic: رِحْلَة‎ f (riḥla)
    Egyptian Arabic: رحلة‎ f (reḥla)
  • Armenian: ճամփորդություն (hy) (čampʿordutʿyun), ուղեւորություն (hy) (ułeworutʿyun)
  • Azerbaijani: səyahət (az), səfər (az)
  • Bulgarian: пътеше́ствие (bg) n (pǎtešéstvie)
  • Catalan: viatge (ca) m
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 旅行 (zh) (lǚxíng), 海程 (zh) (hǎichéng), 航海 (zh) (hánghǎi)
  • Czech: plavba (cs) f
  • Dutch: reis (nl)
  • Esperanto: vojaĝo (eo)
  • Finnish: matka (fi)
  • French: voyage (fr) m
  • Georgian: მგზავრობა (mgzavroba)
  • German: Reise (de) f
  • Greek: ταξίδι (el) n (taxídi)
    Ancient: πλόος m (plóos), πλοῦς m (ploûs)
  • Hebrew: הַפְלָגָה (he) f (haflaga)
  • Hungarian: tengeri utazás, hajóút (hu)
  • Ido: voyajo (io)
  • Italian: viaggio (it) m
  • Japanese: 航海 (ja) (こうかい, kōkai),  (ja) (たび, tabi), 旅行 (ja) (りょこう, ryokō)
  • Korean: 여행(旅行) (ko) (yeohaeng), 항해 (ko) (hanghae)
  • Latvian: ceļojums m, brauciens m, reiss m
  • Macedonian: пату́вање n (patúvanje), патеше́ствие n (patešéstvie)
  • Malay: perjalanan
  • Maori: wharaunga, rerenga
  • Mongolian: аялал (mn) (ajalal), аян (mn) (ajan), нислэг (mn) (nisleg)
  • Navajo: ił ooʼoł
  • Norwegian: reise (no), sjøreise
  • Occitan: viatge (oc) m
  • Persian: سفر (fa) (safar)
  • Plautdietsch: Reis f
  • Polish: rejs (pl) m
  • Portuguese: viagem (pt) f
  • Romanian: călătorie (ro) f
  • Russian: путеше́ствие (ru) n (putešéstvije), пла́вание (ru) n (plávanije), воя́ж (ru) m (vojáž), рейс (ru) m (rejs)
  • Scottish Gaelic: (on sea) turas-mara m
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic: путовање n, путешествије n
    Roman: putovanje (sh) n, putešestvije (sh) n
  • Spanish: viaje (es) m
  • Swedish: resa (sv) c
  • Turkish: seyahat (tr)
  • Welsh: mordaith f

Verb[edit]

voyage (third-person singular simple present voyages, present participle voyaging, simple past and past participle voyaged)

  1. (intransitive) To go on a long journey.
    • 1850, William Wordsworth, The Prelude
      A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought alone.
    • 1870, Walt Whitman, “Passage to India”, in Leaves of Grass [], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, [], published 1892, →OCLC, stanza 9, page 322:

      O soul, voyagest thou indeed on voyages like those? / Disportest thou on waters such as those?

Conjugation[edit]

Translations[edit]

to go on a long journey

  • Bulgarian: пътешествам (pǎtešestvam)

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French voiage, viage, veiage, from Latin viāticum. Doublet of viatique.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /vwa.jaʒ/
  • Audio (France, Paris) (file)
  • (Louisiana) IPA(key): [vo.jaʒ], [(v)wɒ.jaʒ]
  • Homophones: voyagent, voyages
  • Hyphenation: vo‧yage
  • Rhymes: -ɑʒ

Noun[edit]

voyage m (plural voyages)

  1. trip, travel

Verb[edit]

voyage

  1. inflection of voyager:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

[edit]

  • agence de voyages
  • bon voyage
  • gens de voyage
  • récit de voyage
  • voyage d’affaires
  • voyage dans le temps
  • voyage de noces
  • voyageur
  • voyagiste

Further reading[edit]

  • “voyage”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams[edit]

  • goyave

Princeton’s WordNetRate this definition:2.7 / 3 votes

  1. ocean trip, voyagenoun

    an act of traveling by water

  2. voyageverb

    a journey to some distant place

  3. voyage, sail, navigateverb

    travel on water propelled by wind or by other means

    «The QE2 will sail to Southampton tomorrow»

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

  1. voyagenoun

    A long journey; especially by ship.

  2. voyageverb

    To go on a long journey.

  3. Etymology: viage, from viage, from voiage, from viaticum. The modern spelling is under the influence of Modern voyage.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 3 votes

  1. Voyagenoun

    formerly, a passage either by sea or land; a journey, in general; but not chiefly limited to a passing by sea or water from one place, port, or country, to another; especially, a passing or journey by water to a distant place or country

  2. Voyagenoun

    the act or practice of traveling

  3. Voyagenoun

    course; way

  4. Voyageverb

    to take a voyage; especially, to sail or pass by water

  5. Voyageverb

    to travel; to pass over; to traverse

  6. Etymology: [OE. veage, viage, OF. veage, viage, veiage, voiage, F. voyage, LL. viaticum, fr. L. viaticum traveling money, provision for a journey, from viaticus belonging to a road or journey, fr. via way, akin to E. way. See Way, n., and cf. Convey, Deviate, Devious, Envoy, Trivial, Viaduct, Viaticum.]

FreebaseRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

  1. Voyage

    Voyage is a 1996 hard science fiction novel by British author Stephen Baxter. The book depicts a manned mission to Mars as it might have been in another timeline, one where John F. Kennedy survived the assassination attempt on him in 1963. Voyage won a Sidewise Award for Alternate History, and was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1997. It has since been made into a radio serial for BBC Radio 4.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

  1. Voyage

    voi′āj, n. passage by water: (Shak.) an enterprise.—v.i. to make a voyage, or to pass by water.—v.t. to traverse, pass over.—adj. Voy′age-able, navigable.—n. Voy′ager, one who voyages.—n.pl. Voyageurs (vwo-ya-zher′), name given in Canada to the men who in their bark canoes kept up communication between the stations, and effected transportation of men and supplies, in the North-west and Hudson’s Bay territory. [Fr.,—L. viaticum, travelling-money—L. via, a way.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

  1. voyage

    A journey by sea. It usually includes the outward and homeward
    trips, which are called passages.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

  1. voyage

    The voyage symbol — In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the voyage symbol and its characteristic.

  2. voyage

    Song lyrics by voyage — Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by voyage on the Lyrics.com website.

How to pronounce voyage?

How to say voyage in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of voyage in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of voyage in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of voyage in a Sentence

  1. Princess Cruises:

    While there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 currently on board, the CDC has identified groups of guests and crew who will be tested before arrival into San Francisco, there are fewer than 100 guests and crew identified for testing, including all in-transit guests( guests who were on the previous Mexico voyage and remained onboard for the current Hawaii voyage), those guests and crew who have experienced influenza-like illness symptoms on this voyage, and guests currently under care for respiratory illness.

  2. Jon Rappoport:

    There is an irreducible thing. It’s called freedom. It is native to every individual. Sometimes it rears its head in the middle of the night, and the dreamer awakes. And he asks himself: what is my freedom for? And then he begins a voyage that no device can record, measure, or analyze. If he pursues it long enough, it takes him out of the labyrinth.

  3. Marcel Proust:

    The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

  4. Eugene McCarthy:

    Saying we should keep the two-party political system simply because it is working is like saying the Titanic voyage was a success because a few people survived on life rafts.

  5. Pat Conroy:

    Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers, that the mind can never break off from the journey.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

voyage#10000#11385#100000


Translations for voyage

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • رحلةArabic
  • viatgeCatalan, Valencian
  • plavbaCzech
  • mordaithWelsh
  • ReiseGerman
  • ταξίδιGreek
  • vojaĝoEsperanto
  • viajeSpanish
  • سفرPersian
  • matkaFinnish
  • voyageFrench
  • turas-maraScottish Gaelic
  • טיול, מסעHebrew
  • hajóút, utazásHungarian
  • voyajoIdo
  • viaggioItalian
  • מַסָעHebrew
  • 旅, 旅行, 航海Japanese
  • მგზავრობაGeorgian
  • 旅行, 항해, 여행Korean
  • Catalogus plantarumLatin
  • wharaunga, rerengaMāori
  • аялал, аян, нислэгMongolian
  • perjalananMalay
  • reisDutch
  • sjøreise, reiseNorwegian
  • ił ooʼołNavajo, Navaho
  • rejsPolish
  • viagemPortuguese
  • călătorieRomanian
  • рейс, вояж, путешествие, плаваниеRussian
  • putovanje, путешествије, путовање, putešestvijeSerbo-Croatian
  • resaSwedish
  • seyahat, yolculukTurkish
  • hành trìnhVietnamese

Get even more translations for voyage »

Translation

Find a translation for the voyage definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • — Select —
  • 简体中文 (Chinese — Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese — Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Are we missing a good definition for voyage? Don’t keep it to yourself…

Noun



The Titanic sank on her maiden voyage.



He wrote about his many voyages into the South Seas.



a manned voyage to Mars

Verb



They voyaged to distant lands.



He spent his youth voyaging around the globe.

Recent Examples on the Web



Portions of the voyage are also available to book in shorter installments.


Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2023





As a child, Wilds was enthralled by stories Claudia shared of the Laconia voyage.


Francesca Street, CNN, 30 Mar. 2023





Navigating space is a voyage at sea.


Ingrid Rojas Contreras, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2023





Fly into Oahu a day early and stay a day late While this particular Hawaii cruise offers immersive long days in port, Honolulu is the start and end point of the voyage.


Lori A. May, Chron, 19 Mar. 2023





The Ancient Fjords and Unspoiled Islands of Southern New Zealand trip is, alternatively, a polar voyage aboard La Lepérouse.


Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2023





Because this is such a long voyage, the ship will stay in each port for multiple days, giving passengers more time for adventures in places like Egypt, Mexico, and Antarctica.


Catherine Garcia, The Week, 4 Mar. 2023





As the majority of the voyage takes place above the Arctic Circle, the odds of seeing the northern lights are high, especially as solar activity tends to peak around the autumnal and vernal equinoxes in September and March, respectively.


Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 4 Mar. 2023





One is her voyage, accompanied by the young writer and filmmaker, Adolf Opel (Tobias Resch), to an unnamed Middle Eastern country in order get some air and get over the depression of a monumental breakup, which is eating her alive.


Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2023




Glover, 46, will be the first person of color to voyage to the moon.


Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2023





Viva will sail the Greek Isles and Mediterranean voyages through November before migrating to the Caribbean in December.


Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2023





While some are choosing to stay close to home, others are voyaging to longtime favorites in Europe and the U.K. ahead of the summer crowds.


Debbi Kickham, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2023





And the online conversation that ensued illustrates the journey undertaken when a fictional character voyages from the strictures of network and syndicated television to high-end streaming TV.


Ted Anthony, ajc, 16 Mar. 2023





And the online conversation that ensued illustrates the journey undertaken when a fictional character voyages from the strictures of network and syndicated television to high-end streaming TV.


Ted Anthony, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2023





Earlier this year, I was afforded the wonderful opportunity to voyage upon the Disney Wonder.


Bridgette Bartlett Royall, Essence, 21 Sep. 2022





Whalers would instead voyage around the world, killing animals as small as porpoises and walruses for their blubber.


Zach Zorich, Discover Magazine, 10 Feb. 2021





There are many ways to voyage on the Milwaukee River, from renting kayaks from the Milwaukee Kayak Company to Edelweiss cruise boats that can hold up to 145 passengers.


Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 26 July 2022



See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘voyage.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

  • Top Definitions
  • Synonyms
  • Quiz
  • Related Content
  • Examples
  • British
  • Idioms And Phrases

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.


noun

a course of travel or passage, especially a long journey by water to a distant place.

a passage through air or space, as a flight in an airplane or space vehicle.

a journey or expedition from one place to another by land.

Often voyages. journeys or travels as the subject of a written account, or the account itself: the voyages of Marco Polo.

Obsolete. an enterprise or undertaking.

verb (used without object), voy·aged, voy·ag·ing.

to make or take a voyage; travel; journey.

verb (used with object), voy·aged, voy·ag·ing.

to traverse by a voyage: to voyage the seven seas.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Which sentence is correct?

Origin of voyage

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ve(i)age, viage, voyage, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin viāticum “travel-money”; see viaticum

synonym study for voyage

OTHER WORDS FROM voyage

voy·ag·er, nounoutvoyage, verb (used with object), out·voy·aged, out·voy·ag·ing.re·voy·age, noun, verb, re·voy·aged, re·voy·ag·ing.un·voy·ag·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH voyage

voyager , voyageur

Words nearby voyage

vox et praeterea nihil, vox humana, vox pop, vox populi, vox populi, vox Dei, voyage, voyage charter, Voyager, voyageur, Voyageurs National Park, voyeur

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to voyage

boating, crossing, cruise, excursion, hop, jaunt, junket, passage, sail, swing, tour, travel, trek, trip, weekend, overnight

How to use voyage in a sentence

  • The preserve is such hardy stuff, in fact, that Christopher Columbus packed it alongside salt cod and hardtack on his transatlantic voyages.

  • Other data do suggest that ancient humans could have deliberately made the voyage to the Ryukyu Islands.

  • It is unlikely that ancient mariners would have set out on an ocean voyage with a major storm on the horizon, say paleoanthropologist Yousuke Kaifu of the University of Tokyo and colleagues.

  • Days after the Diamond Princess evacuation, a ship from the same company, the Grand Princess, set sail from San Francisco on another ill-fated voyage.

  • A statue of its namesake explorer stands in the lobby, near a chart of Cook’s voyages.

  • It used to carry livestock but sailed its final voyage with a hold full of Syrian men, women, and children.

  • People might be surprised that during that period “Maiden Voyage,” one of your most well-loved standards, began as a TV jingle.

  • It has now been revealed that Princess Beatrice will not be among those who will ultimately voyage with Virgin Galactic.

  • The turbulent waters caused one of his oars to crack, which—without a motor or a sail—can be severely detrimental to his voyage.

  • The voyage is a new one, certainly for Tambor, but also for Hollywood, in many ways.

  • Roman Pane who accompanied Columbus on his second voyage alludes to another method of using the herb.

  • Henry Hudson sailed from Gravesend on his first voyage for the discovery of a northwest passage to India.

  • I shipped for a voyage to Japan and China, and spent several more years trying to penetrate the forbidden fastnesses of Tibet.

  • The Swedish boatswain consoled him, and he modified his opinions as the voyage went on.

  • Capt. Ross sailed from Shetland, on his first voyage for the discovery of the north-west passage.

British Dictionary definitions for voyage


noun

a journey, travel, or passage, esp one to a distant land or by sea or air

obsolete an ambitious project

verb

to travel over or traverse (something)we will voyage to Africa

Derived forms of voyage

voyager, noun

Word Origin for voyage

C13: from Old French veiage, from Latin viāticum provision for travelling, from viāticus concerning a journey, from via a way

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 Idioms and Phrases with voyage

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Other forms: voyages; voyaging; voyaged

If someone tells you «bon voyage!» they mean have a good trip. Voyage means trip in French but in English, we use it to mean a long journey.

Though voyage is usually used literally to mean a long and exciting journey or a trip that involves sailing such as a cruise, it can be used figuratively as well. Researching your family tree might become a voyage of self-discovery, taking you places you don’t expect and teaching you more about yourself than you thought possible.

Definitions of voyage

  1. noun

    a journey to some distant place

  2. noun

    an act of traveling by water

  3. verb

    travel on water propelled by wind or by other means

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘voyage’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Look up voyage for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the
words you need to know.

VocabTrainer - Vocabulary.com's Vocabulary Trainer

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.

Get started

Понравилась статья? Поделить с друзьями:
  • Definition of the word virus
  • Definition word to the wise
  • Definition of the word vehicle
  • Definition of word car
  • Definition word stress english