noun
-
a procession of people on horseback, in cars, etc
-
any procession
a cavalcade of guests
Etymology
Origin of cavalcade
1585–95; < Middle French < early Italian cavalcata horseback raid, equivalent to cavalc ( are ) to ride on horseback (< Late Latin caballicāre, equivalent to caball ( us ) horse ( cavalier ) + -icā- v. suffix + -re infinitive ending) + -ata -ade 1
Explanation
If you are traveling with a procession of people on horseback, you are part of a cavalcade. The word cavalcade comes from the Latin word for horse, caballus. The word cavalry, which means soldiers on horseback, comes from the same Latin root. So strictly speaking, a cavalcade is group of people on horseback or in horse-drawn carriages, moving together in some kind of ceremony or parade. But cavalcades can include vehicles or people walking, like the motorcycle cavalcades that sometimes accompany a funeral procession.
Vocabulary lists containing cavalcade
The Hobbit
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 9
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The 57 Bus
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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.
I tried leaning on it, hand on hip, and felt myself transformed from a geriatric sourpuss into a bemused observer of the human cavalcade.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
Before rushing into action, or joining the cavalcade fretting about a market bubble, remember Thanksgiving.
From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025
Sir Sadiq Khan will be leading the cavalcade in his role as mayor of London.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025
The demonstration, which involved about 1,000 protesters, backed up the arrivals of A-listers on the red carpet, with approximately 350 protesters blocking the cavalcade of limousines at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2024
Meanwhile, Atawallpa’s triumphant cavalcade, perhaps as many as eighty thousand strong, slowly promenaded to Qosqo.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
