What does "transition" mean?
The process of change from one form, state, style or place to another.
Transition
/tɹænˈzɪ.ʃən/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The process of change from one form, state, style or place to another.
- Grammar: transition is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: changeover, conversion, about face, about-face.
- Useful contrasts: disjunction, disruptive term, gap.
- Usage evidence: The educational system is in transition.
How to use "transition"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "transition" 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 "transition" 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 "transition" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "transition" 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 "transition" is acting as noun, verb 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 "changeover" 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 "transition", 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 The process of change from one form, state, style or place to another. countable, uncountable
"All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill.[…]Never before had he felt such repulsion when the vicar displayed his characteristic bluntness or coarseness of speech. In the present connexion—or rather as a transition from the subject that started their conversation—such talk had been distressingly out of place."
- 2 the act of passing from one state or place to the next wordnet
- 3 A word or phrase connecting one part of a discourse to another. countable, uncountable
"Holonym: metadiscourse"
- 4 a passage that connects a topic to one that follows wordnet
- 5 A brief modulation; a passage connecting two themes. countable, uncountable
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 a musical passage moving from one key to another wordnet
- 7 A change of key. countable, uncountable
- 8 a change from one place or state or subject or stage to another wordnet
- 9 A point mutation in which one base is replaced by another of the same class (purine or pyrimidine); compare transversion. countable, uncountable
- 10 an event that results in a transformation wordnet
- 11 A change from defense to attack, or attack to defense. countable, uncountable
- 12 The onset of the final stage of childbirth. countable, uncountable
- 13 Professional special education assistance for children or adults in the process of leaving one educational environment or support program for another to relatively more independent living. countable, uncountable
- 14 A change between forward and backward motion without stopping. countable, uncountable
- 15 The process or act of changing one's gender role or physical and sexual characteristics, by social, medical, or legal methods, to conform to their identified gender, rather than the sex assigned at birth. countable, uncountable
"The preoccupation with transition and surgery objectifies trans people. And then we don't get to really deal with the real lived experiences."
- 16 A published procedure for instrument flight, coming between the departure and en-route phases of flight, or between en-route flight and an approach/landing procedure. countable, uncountable
- 17 Death; passing from life into death. countable, euphemistic, uncountable
"As I read for the first time the inscription on my ancestor's tombstone, I recognized her name, but it was the date that transfixed my gaze and made my hair stand on end. The date of her death was March 1st, a fact I had been unaware of, but I did know that this day happened also to be March 1st; it was the thirty-second anniversary of her transition."
Verb
- 1 To make a transition. intransitive
- 2 make or undergo a transition (from one state or system to another) wordnet
- 3 To bring through a transition; to change. transitive
"The soldier was transitioned from a combat role to a strategic role."
- 4 cause to convert or undergo a transition wordnet
- 5 To change one's gender role or physical and sexual characteristics to conform to one's identified gender. intransitive
"Eric told me that after he transitioned, he wanted to learn to fish and all the things his father never taught him."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The educational system is in transition."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "transition"?
Common synonyms include: changeover, conversion, about face, about-face, accommodation, adaptation.
How do you use "transition" in a sentence?
The educational system is in transition.
How do you pronounce "transition"?
Pronounced /tɹænˈzɪ.ʃən/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Middle French transitionbor. English transition From Middle French transition, from Latin transitio. By surface analysis, transit + -ion.