traipse

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.”

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!