carpet

American  

[kahr-pit] / ˈkɑr pɪt /

noun

1. a heavy fabric, commonly of wool or nylon, for covering floors.

2. a covering of this material.

3. any relatively soft surface or covering like a carpet.

   They walked on the carpet of grass.

4. any of a number of airborne electronic devices for jamming radar.

5. a system of such devices.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to cover or furnish with or as with a carpet.

2. Chiefly British. to reprimand.

idioms

1. on the carpet,

   1. before an authority or superior for an accounting of one's actions or a reprimand.

      He was called on the carpet again for his carelessness.

   2. Chiefly British. under consideration or discussion.

carpet British  

/ ˈkɑːpɪt /

noun

1. 1. a heavy fabric for covering floors

   2. ( as modifier )

      a carpet sale

2. a covering like a carpet

   a carpet of leaves

3. informal

   1. before authority to be reproved for misconduct or error

   2. under consideration

---

verb

1. to cover with or as if with a carpet

2. informal to reprimand

carpet More Idioms  

1. see call on the carpet; red carpet. Also see under rug.

---

Other Word Forms

• carpetless adjective
• carpetlike adjective
• recarpet verb (used with object)
• uncarpeted adjective
• well-carpeted adjective

Etymology

Origin of carpet

1300–50; Middle English carpete cloth covering for a table, floor, bed, etc. < Middle French carpite or Medieval Latin carpīta < Italian carpita woolen bedspread < Vulgar Latin *carpīta, past participle of carpīre, for Latin carpere to pluck, card (wool)

Explanation

A carpet is a thick, woven floor covering. Most carpets cover the whole floor in a room, as opposed to a rug, which only covers a small section. Carpets are made from polyester fibers, or wool, or nylon — most often, these soft materials are loops or strings that form the carpet's "pile," and are attached to a solid backing. A carpet can be very densely woven and flat, or it can be tufted and thick. To carpet means to cover something as if with a carpet: "Then the snow carpets the ground, and winter is here."

Example Sentences

During his sales pitch, Reed would first clean a homeowner’s carpet with their vacuum and then demonstrate how to clean using a Rainbow.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Bratt said he has toned down some snippiness at news conferences when he doesn’t like a question, and looks comfortable hobnobbing with athletes and celebrities on the red carpet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Munir also greeted Vance, escorting him down a red carpet at the Nur Khan air base, where US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were already waiting.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

I was an angsty 14-year-old, sprawled on the white shag carpet of my parents’ Upper East Side apartment, mesmerized by a photo taken by Horst Fass in a place called Vietnam.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

A few faded petals clung now to the new-leafed branches, but most of the Bride’s flowers had fallen, forming a wilted carpet beneath us.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• carpeting
• rug
• tapestry