car

1 of 2

noun

ˈkär How to pronounce car (audio)
 dialectal also  ˈkȯr,
ˈkyär
1
: a vehicle moving on wheels: such as
a
archaic : carriage, chariot
b
: a vehicle designed to move on rails (as of a railroad)
The train has 20 cars.
c
: automobile
traveled to Boston by car
2
: the passenger compartment of an elevator
3
: the part of an airship or balloon that carries the passengers and cargo

CAR

2 of 2

abbreviation

civil air regulations

Examples of car in a Sentence

Noun I'll wait in the car. He got into the car and drove away. She bought a new car.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The government rejects that figure, saying the introduction of fuel emissions standards in other countries led to little or no increase in car prices. Michael E. Miller, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Brooks, who was 19, was in the back seat of the suspects' car when she was allegedly raped and let out on the side of a busy, four-lane highway, where she was fatally struck by an oncoming car. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2024 The director indulges in major and minor stunts, staging plenty of scenes with cars rolling over to escape exploding bombs and characters escaping choke holds from people determined to kill them. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 Used car prices increased by 0.5% and apparel, by 0.6%. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 The image showed the couple sitting in the backseat of a car, with William glancing down and Kate looking out the window, away from the camera. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Home security footage captured Jami placing the explosive on the hood of a car at the residence, igniting it and leaving the scene. The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024 At one point, Bellamy seemed to spot flames coming from the car. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 The car was parked on the left southbound shoulder of the highway near the Campbell Drive exit. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'car.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English carre "cart, wagon, small cartload," borrowed from Anglo-French carre, charre, going back to Late Latin carra, plural of carrum "vehicle, cart," going back to Latin, neuter variant of carrus "a kind of Gaulish wagon," borrowed from the Gaulish outcome of Celtic *kr̥s-o-, whence also Old Irish carr "cart, wagon," Welsh car "vehicle" — more at current entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of car was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near car

Cite this Entry

“Car.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/car. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

car

noun
1
: a vehicle (as an automobile or part of a passenger train) moving on wheels
2
: the passenger compartment of an elevator
3
: the part of a balloon or an airship that carries the passengers and equipment

More from Merriam-Webster on car

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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