transitive
adjective
tran·si·tive
| \ ˈtran(t)-sə-tiv
, ˈtran-zə-; ˈtran(t)s-tiv\
, ˈtran-zə-; ˈtran(t)s-tiv\
Definition of transitive
1
: characterized by having or containing a direct object
a transitive verb
2
: being or relating to a relation with the property that if the relation holds between a first element and a second and between the second element and a third, it holds between the first and third elements
equality is a transitive relation
3
: of, relating to, or characterized by transition
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Other Words from transitive
transitively
adverb
transitiveness
noun
transitivity
\ ˌtran(t)-sə-ˈti-və-tē
, ˌtran-zə- \
noun
, ˌtran-zə- \
noun
Examples of transitive in a Sentence
In “I like pie” and “She makes hats,” the verbs “like” and “makes” are transitive.
Recent Examples on the Web
The verb fight is transitive here and does have an object. — Quanta Magazine, "Solution: ‘The Bulldogs That Bulldogs Fight’," 16 May 2019 By the transitive property, a room full of Colombians had come to cheer for an iconic German side. — Brad Rickman, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Loneliness of the American Soccer Fan," 15 June 2018 But as Abby later explained it, because Bates had beaten St. Olaf in pool play and Williams had beaten Bates at the regional tournament earlier in the season, by the Ultimate transitive property, Williams was now the national champion. — Michael W. Miller, WSJ, "A Clueless Dad’s Strange Trip to the Ultimate Tournament," 24 May 2018 So, by the transitive property, Ohio State > Michigan State > Michigan, right? — Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football a bigger underdog to Ohio State than Michigan State," 24 May 2018 Apply the transitive property and boom, sandwiches don’t exist without a serrated knife. — Elaheh Nozari, Bon Appetit, "This Is the Serrated Knife to End All Serrated Knives," 26 Feb. 2018 The transitive-property arguments – if the last-place team in the Big East can beat the No. 4 team in America, etc. etc. — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "What's St. John's upset of No. 4 Duke mean for Xavier, Big East?," 3 Feb. 2018 Through the transitive property, UCF declared itself the real national champions, and that includes the team’s Twitter name and bio. — Michelle R. Martinelli, For The Win, "UCF proclaims itself the national champion after perfect 13-0 season," 3 Jan. 2018 So, by the transitive principle of good black folks equals good movies, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a very good movie, mostly because of what happens with Finn, played by teen-geek heartthrob John Boyega. — Jason Johnson, The Root, "In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, John Boyega, People of Color Get to Shine in a Galaxy Far, Far Away," 15 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'transitive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for transitive
transitive
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of transitive
grammar, of a verb
: having or taking a direct object
See the full definition for transitive in the English Language Learners Dictionary
transitive
adjective
tran·si·tive
| \ ˈtran-sə-tiv
, -zə-\
, -zə-\
Kids Definition of transitive
: having or containing a direct object
transitive verbs