caboose

[ kuh-boos ]

noun

1. a car on a freight train, used chiefly as the crew's quarters and usually attached to the rear of the train.
2. British. a kitchen on the deck of a ship; galley.
3. Slang. the buttocks.

caboose

/ kəˈbuːs /

noun

1. informal.
   short for calaboose
2. railways a guard's van, esp one with sleeping and eating facilities for the train crew
3. nautical
   1. a deckhouse for a galley aboard ship or formerly in Canada, on a lumber raft
   2. the galley itself
4. 1. a mobile bunkhouse used by lumbermen, etc
   2. an insulated cabin on runners, equipped with a stove

Word History and Origins

Origin of caboose¹

1740–50; < early modern Dutch cabūse ( Dutch kabuis ) ship's galley, storeroom; compare Low German kabuus, kabüse, Middle Low German kabuse booth, shed; further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of caboose¹

C18: from Dutch cabūse, of unknown origin

Example Sentences

The band has kicked off previous albums in New York with great fanfare, once rolling down Fifth Avenue on a flatbed truck and on another occasion riding on a caboose into Grand Central Terminal.

From Reuters

Disabled workers say they’re a canary in the coal mine: “If disability is on the caboose of the writing chain, we will be the first people to get pushed out.”

From Los Angeles Times

An old railroad caboose has been transformed into The Railway Cafe, offering coffee, light breakfast and lunch.

From Seattle Times

“If disability is on the caboose of the writing chain, we will be the first people to get pushed out of jobs,” he tells The Times.

From Los Angeles Times

When it comes to funding, "we're always the caboose of the train," Clegg said of his county.

From Salon

Related Words

• box
• camp
• chalet
• compartment
• cottage
• home
• hut
• lodge
• room
• shack
• shanty
• shed
• shelter