What does teleported mean?
Teleported is the past tense and past participle of teleport, meaning to move a person or object instantaneously from one place to another. It is especially common in science fiction, fantasy, and accounts of technology that enables rapid travel. In ordinary conversation, it can also describe an unexpectedly fast change of location, as in a story in which someone teleported from a queue to the front. Its literal use suggests that no conventional journey occurs: the usual obstacles of distance and travel are simply removed. Figuratively, the verb may carry a comic or exaggerated tone, implying that something moved much faster than expected or that its movement was conveniently abrupt. Because teleport draws on the Greek element tele-, meaning far, and the Latin portare, meaning to carry, the word aptly conveys the idea of being carried over a great distance without an ordinary route. Teleported is therefore both a precise fictional term and a vivid metaphor for astonishingly rapid relocation.
verbTo move a person, object, or other entity instantaneously from one place to another, especially by supernatural or technological means. It is the past tense and past participle of teleport.
- Moved instantaneously from one place to another by supernatural, fictional, or technological means.
- Moved or changed location suddenly and unexpectedly, often with an exaggerated or comic implication.
"The magician teleported the rabbit into his hat."
"The portal flickered, and the explorer was teleported to the other side of the room."
"In the game, the character was teleported to a distant island whenever the timer expired."
Teleport hides a neat contradiction: it means to carry something far while making the distance disappear.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How teleported is actually used
The form is common in science fiction, fantasy, and informal descriptions of unusually rapid movement. British pronunciation generally ends in /t/, while the standard American pronunciation ends in /rt/.
Easily confused with teleported
Teleported implies instantaneous movement without a conventional journey, whereas transported generally means carried or conveyed from one place to another.