Standard Lemma guide

excursion

noun · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪkˈskɜː.ʃən/
  • Canada, General-American: /ɛkˈskɝ.ʒən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ekˈskɜː.ʃən/
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)ʃən
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)ʒən
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 K S K ER1 ZH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A brief recreational trip; a journey out of the usual way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • While driving home I took an excursion and saw some deer.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A field trip.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A wandering from the main subject: a digression.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An occurrence where an aircraft runs off the end or side of a runway or taxiway, usually during takeoff, landing, or taxi.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: aeronautics, aerospace, aviation, business, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A deviation in pitch, for example in the syllables of enthusiastic speech.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, phonetics, phonology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Temporary deviation from a regular course or pattern

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • After an unsuccessful excursion into banking, I've returned to public life.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To go on a recreational trip or excursion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • 1825, Charles Lamb, Letter to Mr. Wordsworth, 6 April, 1825, in The Works of Charles Lamb, Volume I, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851, p. 249, https://books.google.ca/books?id=ypdNAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Yesterday I excursioned twenty miles; to-day I write a few letters.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

wandering from the main path of a journey

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: digression

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: journey, journeying

9

noun

Meaning 9

a journey taken for pleasure

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • many summer excursions to the shore
  • it was merely a pleasure trip
  • after cautious sashays into the field

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jaunt, outing, junket, pleasure trip, expedition, sashay

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: journey, journeying

Narrower terms: airing, field trip

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin excursiō (“a running out, an inroad, invasion, a setting out, beginning of a speech”), from excurrere (“to run out”), from ex (“out”) + currere (“to run”). By surface analysis, excurse + -ion. Compare excursus.

Across languages

Translations

75 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: ekskursion — brief recreational trip
  • Armenian: էքսկուրսիա (ēkʻskursia) — brief recreational trip
  • Armenian: զբոսարշավ (zbosaršav) — brief recreational trip
  • Basque: txango — brief recreational trip
  • Belarusian: экску́рсія (ekskúrsija) — brief recreational trip
  • Bulgarian: екску́рзия (ekskúrzija) — brief recreational trip
  • Chinese Mandarin: 遠足 /远足 (yuǎnzú) — brief recreational trip
  • Chinese Mandarin: 短途旅行 (duǎntú lǚxíng) — brief recreational trip
  • Chinese Mandarin: 郊遊 /郊游 (jiāoyóu) — brief recreational trip
  • Chinese Mandarin: 野遊 /野游 (yěyóu) — brief recreational trip
  • Czech: výlet — brief recreational trip
  • Czech: exkurze — brief recreational trip
  • Danish: udflugt — brief recreational trip
  • Danish: ekskursion — brief recreational trip
  • Dutch: uitstapje — brief recreational trip
  • Dutch: excursie — brief recreational trip
  • Esperanto: ekskurso — brief recreational trip
  • Finnish: ekskursio — brief recreational trip
  • Finnish: huviretki — brief recreational trip
  • French: excursion — brief recreational trip
  • French: randonnée — brief recreational trip
  • German: Ausflug — brief recreational trip
  • German: Exkursion — brief recreational trip
  • Greek: εκδρομή (ekdromí) — brief recreational trip
  • Hebrew: טיול (tiul) — brief recreational trip
  • Hungarian: kirándulás — brief recreational trip
  • Ido: exkurso — brief recreational trip
  • Indonesian: ekskursi — brief recreational trip
  • Italian: gita — brief recreational trip
  • Italian: escursione — brief recreational trip
  • Japanese: 遠足 (ensoku) — brief recreational trip
  • Korean: 소풍 (sopung) — brief recreational trip
  • Korean: 원족 (wonjok) — brief recreational trip
  • Latin: excursiō — brief recreational trip
  • Lithuanian: ekskursija — brief recreational trip
  • Luxembourgish: Ausfluch — brief recreational trip
  • Māori: tiripi — brief recreational trip
  • Norwegian Bokmål: utflukt — brief recreational trip
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ekskursjon — brief recreational trip
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: utflukt — brief recreational trip
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ekskursjon — brief recreational trip
  • Persian: گشتوگذار (gašt-o-gozâr) — brief recreational trip
  • Polish: wycieczka — brief recreational trip
  • Polish: wypad — brief recreational trip
  • Polish: wyprawa — brief recreational trip
  • Polish: przejażdżka — brief recreational trip
  • Portuguese: excursão — brief recreational trip
  • Portuguese: passeio — brief recreational trip
  • Romanian: excursie — brief recreational trip
  • Russian: экску́рсия (ekskúrsija) — brief recreational trip
  • Serbo-Croatian: екскурзија — brief recreational trip
  • Serbo-Croatian: ekskurzija — brief recreational trip
  • Spanish: excursión — brief recreational trip
  • Swedish: utflykt — brief recreational trip
  • Swedish: exkursion — brief recreational trip
  • Telugu: విహారయాత్ర (vihārayātra) — brief recreational trip
  • Ukrainian: екску́рсія (ekskúrsija) — brief recreational trip
  • Belarusian: э́кскурс (ékskurs) — wandering from the main subject
  • Bulgarian: отклонение (otklonenie) — wandering from the main subject
  • Danish: ekskurs — wandering from the main subject
  • German: Abschweifung — wandering from the main subject
  • German: Exkurs — wandering from the main subject
  • German: Digression — wandering from the main subject
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ekskurs — wandering from the main subject
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ekskurs — wandering from the main subject
  • Polish: zbaczanie z tematu — wandering from the main subject
  • Russian: э́кскурс (ékskurs) — wandering from the main subject
  • Swedish: utvikning — wandering from the main subject
  • Swedish: exkurs — wandering from the main subject
  • Ukrainian: е́кскурс (ékskurs) — wandering from the main subject
  • Finnish: mennä huviretkelle — to go on an excursion
  • Finnish: mennä ekskursiolle — to go on an excursion
  • Finnish: retkeillä — to go on an excursion
  • Polish: jechać na wycieczkę — to go on an excursion
  • Polish: pojechać na wycieczkę — to go on an excursion
Real reading context

excursion in complete knowledge articles