What does "trans" mean?
A trans person.
Trans
/tɹænz/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A trans person.
- Grammar: trans is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: across morpheme, geometric descriptor, prefix form, stereochemical descriptor.
- Useful contrasts: cis, cisgender, cisgender person.
- Usage evidence: Trans fats are bad for your health.
How to use "trans"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "trans" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "trans" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "trans" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "trans" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "trans" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "across morpheme" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "trans", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A trans person. humorous, informal, offensive, sometimes
"Good thing about Thanksgiving with the transes is you don;t need to explain your need to dialate in the middle of a movie. ; ) Dana a#344."
- 2 Clipping of transaction. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
- 3 plural of tran form-of, plural
- 4 Clipping of transmission. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
"Most of the transes I've seen die started out by losing a gear, usually the high one. If this happens to you, first check the trans fluid level, *then* panic."
Verb
- 1 To cause to cross from one side to another of (gender, sex or similar). humorous, transitive
"[…] as they interact with bodies transing gender (and other) borders and spaces."
- 2 To render (someone) transgender. Internet, humorous, offensive, transitive
"doctors accused of transing kids"
- 3 To become transgender. Internet, humorous, intransitive, offensive
"They thought of that. The proposals make an exception for "affirmative" practices. You can say yes to your kid transing, but not no."
Adjective
- 1 In (or constituting, forming, or describing) a double bond in which the greater radical on both ends is on the opposite side of the bond. not-comparable, physical
"A series of one electron shifts in this complex establish a new trans double bond at carbon ll which transfers the hydrogen to oxygen, forming the hydroperoxide and liberating the enzyme."
- 2 Transgender or transsexual. not-comparable
"Last week, a study released in Belgium suggested that trans people’s brains – including those of trans children – more closely matched those belonging to other members of the gender they identified with than with members of the gender associated with their sex at birth."
- 3 In (or constituting, forming, or describing) a coordination compound in which the two instances of a particular ligand are on opposite sides of the central atom. not-comparable, physical
"The trans effect is the labilization of ligands which are trans to certain other ligands."
- 4 Alternative form of trans* (“having any gender identity other than cisgender”). alt-of, alternative, not-comparable
- 5 Of the side of the Golgi apparatus farther from the endoplasmic reticulum. not-comparable
Proper Noun
- 1 plural of Tran form-of, plural
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Trans fats are bad for your health."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "trans"?
Common synonyms include: across morpheme, geometric descriptor, prefix form, stereochemical descriptor, trans person, transgender.
How do you use "trans" in a sentence?
Trans fats are bad for your health.
How do you pronounce "trans"?
Pronounced /tɹænz/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Latin trāns (“on the other side of”). Doublet of très.
Etymology 2
Clipping of transgender or transsexual (ultimately from Latin trāns).
Etymology 3
Clipping.
Etymology 4
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.