taxi
noun
a taxicab.
taxi
1 American
[tak-see]
/ ˈtæk si /
noun
plural
taxis, taxiesverb (used without object)
taxied,
taxiing,
taxying
-
to ride or travel in a taxicab.
-
(of an airplane) to move over the surface of the ground or water under its own power.
verb (used with object)
taxied,
taxiing,
taxying
taxi-
2
American
taxi
British
/ ˈtæksɪ /
noun
verb
-
to cause (an aircraft) to move along the ground under its own power, esp before takeoff and after landing, or (of an aircraft) to move along the ground in this way
-
(intr) to travel in a taxi
Other Word Forms
- untaxied adjective
Etymology
Origin of taxi
1905–10, short for taxicab
Explanation
Running late? Call a taxi. A taxi is a car you hire to drive you somewhere. In some big cities, all you have to do is raise your hand and yell "taxi!" and a taxi will pull up next to you. You can also refer to a taxi as a cab or a taxicab. Most taxis are cars, although boats for hire are sometimes also called taxis. As a verb, taxi describes what airplanes do when they move very slowly on a runway. Officially, taxi is short for taximeter cab, as they were originally named at the turn of the 20th century. Today the taximeter, which records distance and fare, is usually just called a meter.
Vocabulary lists containing taxi
Flying High: Aviation Words
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 1
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Unit 5
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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.
In the mid-2010s, BYD brought several dozen street-legal EVs into the U.S. as part of a pilot program for taxi fleets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
"I said to the taxi driver: 'There's two drops,'" the witness told the court.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
She said Holder had said "I am not going home" after he got into the taxi she flagged down for him.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
Joby Aviation’s stock rose 6.4% after completing the first point-to-point air taxi demonstration in New York City.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
That also means Mom took a taxi home from the airport on purpose, just to avoid the FBI.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
