carousel

noun

car·​ou·​sel ˌker-ə-ˈsel 

ˌka-rə-

also

-ˈzel  ˈker-ə-ˌsel 

ˈka-rə-

variants or less commonly carrousel

1

: a tournament or exhibition in which horsemen execute evolutions

2

a

: merry-go-round

b

: a circular conveyor

the luggage carousel at the airport

c

: a revolving case or tray used for storage or display

Examples of carousel in a Sentence

He loves to ride on the carousel at the park.

the luggage carousel at the airport

a CD player with a six-disk carousel

Recent Examples on the Web

The Bears were led by head coach Ryan Beard this season, but the coaching carousel that never stops spinning made a stop in Springfield, as Beard accepted the head coaching role at Coastal Carolina last week. —Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 17 Dec. 2025

Weaving posted a carousel of photos on her social media, which included snaps of her wearing a mesh lace shirt that accentuated her pregnant belly. —Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025

And some days ago, Perry shared a carousel of images on her social media account, which included a photo of herself and the former Canadian Prime Minister. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 Dec. 2025

One of the region’s most vibrant celebrations is at Peddler’s Village, where visitors can peruse 65 specialty shops, ride a 1920s carousel, and take in the impressive display of gingerbread houses. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French carrousel, from Italian carosello

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carousel

• bagatelle
• caravel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• infidel
• isabel
• machiavel

Kids Definition

carousel

noun

car·​ou·​sel

variants also carrousel

ˌkar-ə-ˈsel

also -ˈzel;

ˈkar-ə-ˌsel

also -ˌzel

: merry-go-round sense 1