car
1 Americannoun
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an automobile.
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a vehicle running on rails, as a streetcar or railroad car.
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the part of an elevator, balloon, modern airship, etc., that carries the passengers, freight, etc.
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British Dialect. any wheeled vehicle, as a farm cart or wagon.
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Literary. a chariot, as of war or triumph.
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Archaic. cart; carriage.
abbreviation
noun
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Also called: motorcar. automobile. a self-propelled road vehicle designed to carry passengers, esp one with four wheels that is powered by an internal-combustion engine
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( as modifier )
car coat
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a conveyance for passengers, freight, etc, such as a cable car or the carrier of an airship or balloon
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a railway vehicle for passengers only, such as a sleeping car or buffet car
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a railway carriage or van
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the enclosed platform of a lift
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a poetic word for chariot
abbreviation
Usage
What else does car mean? To most of us on the outside, a car is a vehicle with a motor and four wheels. But in prison slang, your car is your crew, especially when it comes to drugs, protection, and money-making.
Other Word Forms
- carless adjective
Etymology
Origin of car1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English carre, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin carra (feminine singular), from Latin, neuter plural of carrum, variant of carrus “baggage cart, freight wagon,” from Gaulish; akin to Old Irish carr “wheeled vehicle”
Origin of car2
First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English ( Scots ), from Scots Gaelic ceàrr “false, left, wrong”
Origin of CAR3
First recorded in 1980–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The reality stars’ exchange with the emergency dispatcher played out in the video, with the dispatcher urging the couple to stop following the car.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
Parents of teenagers demanding driving lessons will quickly reacquaint themselves with what some car manufacturers call the passenger-side assist grip.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Years ago, Donio stepped into a rental car, put it in drive and quickly felt the engine click off when he hit his first stop sign.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Catalytic converters turn toxic gases into water vapor and carbon dioxide, making car exhaust fumes less environmentally damaging.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
The other woman was already back in the car; the sick man did not reappear.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
