transportation

noun

trans·​por·​ta·​tion ˌtran(t)s-pər-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce transportation (audio)
Synonyms of transportationnext
1
: an act, process, or instance of transporting or being transported
2
a
: means of conveyance or travel from one place to another
b
: public conveyance of passengers or goods especially as a commercial enterprise
3
: banishment to a penal colony
transportational
ˌtran(t)s-pər-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce transportation (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of transportation

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of transportation in a Sentence

the transportation of troops overseas She arranged for the transportation of her furniture to her new apartment. He was the U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Reagan.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Support includes things like housing, food, clothing, education, and transportation. — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 East Nusa Tenggara consists of numerous islands and presents significant transportation and access challenges. — Yacob Herin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 The road was the backbone of Charlotte’s transportation at the time. — Dj Simmons, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2026 About half of Americans are spending every bit of their income on food, shelter, transportation and (maybe) medical care. — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for transportation

Word History

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of transportation was in 1540

Phrases Containing transportation

Rhymes for transportation

See All Rhymes for transportation

Browse Nearby Words

transportal
transportation
transportational
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Transportation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transportation. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

transportation

noun
trans·​por·​ta·​tion ˌtran(t)s-pər-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce transportation (audio)
1
: an act, process, or instance of transporting or being transported
2
: exile to a penal colony
3
a
: a means or method of transport
was left without transportation when the car died
b
: the public transporting of passengers or goods usually for a price

More from Merriam-Webster on transportation

Nglish: Translation of transportation for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All