excursion

noun

ex·​cur·​sion ik-ˈskər-zhən 

1

a

: a going out or forth : expedition

b(1)

: a usually brief pleasure trip

(2)

: a trip at special reduced rates

2

: deviation from a direct, definite, or proper course

especially : digression

needless excursions into abstruse theory

3

: a movement outward and back or from a mean position or axis

also : the distance traversed : amplitude

the excursion of a piston

Did you know?

A Tribe Called Quest’s 1991 album The Low End Theory is not only widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, but one of the genre’s most successful early excursions into jazz, utilizing samples and even featuring legendary bassist Ron Carter on one song. Excursion refers to a usually brief, pleasurable trip, and is often used figuratively—as in the previous sentence—for metaphorical trips outside of one’s usual territory, be they artistic or otherwise. The word comes from the Latin verb excurrere (“to run out” or “to extend”), which combines the prefix ex- meaning “out of” and the verb currere meaning “to run.” Although it is sometimes used to refer to attacks or raids made against an enemy, as in “military excursions,” excursion is mostly used today for much more enjoyable jaunts, junkets, and rambles. Accordingly, on your next excursion, whether to the park, beach, or elsewhere, you could do worse than to queue up The Low End Theory on your playlist. The album’s first track, after all, is titled “Excursions.”

Synonyms

• jaunt
• junket
• outing
• ramble
• sally
• sashay
• sortie
• spin

Examples of excursion in a Sentence

They went on a brief excursion to the coast.

our weekend excursions have encompassed virtually all parts of our home state

Recent Examples on the Web

Keys posted pics from their Eras Tour excursion in August 2023, including snaps of Swift posing for snaps with the mother-son duo and giving Genesis a special handwritten note. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 4 Feb. 2025

Join a kayaking excursion on the Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River or the Indian River Lagoon, and glide across dark waters that pop with sparkling trails of aqua and indigo when the glowing critters are disturbed by oars or passing fish. —Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025

The previous two had been to identify his brother’s body and to bury him, so this was the first excursion that did not have to do with death. —Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

By the end of the song, Mars’s excursion into sleaze-funk turns into a full-on Sexyy Red chant-along, with the whole crew turned into a louche league of lip-licking libertines. —Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin excursion-, excursio, from excurrere

First Known Use

circa 1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

excursion

noun

ex·​cur·​sion ik-ˈskər-zhən 

1

a

: a short trip for pleasure

b

: a trip at special reduced rates

2

: a wandering off from the subject : digression

Etymology

from Latin excursio, excursion- "a going out," from excurrere "to run out, make an excursion, extend," from ex- "out, forth" and currere "to run" — related to current

Medical Definition

excursion

noun

ex·​cur·​sion ik-ˈskər-zhən 

1

a

: a movement outward and back or from a mean position or axis

excursion of the femur

b

: the distance traversed

2

: one complete movement of expansion and contraction of the lungs and their membranes (as in breathing)