cart

1 of 2

noun

plural carts
1
: a heavy usually horse-drawn 2-wheeled vehicle used for farming or transporting freight
2
: a lightweight 2-wheeled vehicle drawn by a horse, pony, or dog
3
a
: a small wheeled vehicle see golf cart, grocery cart, shopping cart sense 1
b
: a table with wheels that is used especially for serving food
I make conversation after asking to look at the menu: That apple tart on the dessert cart—who made it, and what's in the crust?Corby Kummer
4
: a temporary record of items selected for purchase from an online vendor : shopping cart sense 2
You head back to your favorite Web shopping site, and the stuff you crammed in your cart last time is still there, waiting for you to buy it or dump it.Neil Randall

cart

2 of 2

verb

carted; carting; carts

transitive verb

1
: to carry or convey in or as if in a cart
buses to cart the kids to and from schoolL. S. Gannett
2
: to take or drag away without ceremony or by force
usually used with off
they carted him off to jail
carter noun

Examples of cart in a Sentence

Noun a cart piled up with hay Verb We carted some dirt to the garden. I carted all the books home. He carted the bags away.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Roupp was able to get up under his own power and walk one step toward the cart before taking a seat. Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025 The next year, Sorting Robotics launched the Omnifiller, a $150,000 machine that can fill 6,000 vape carts with THC concentrate an hour. Will Yakowicz, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
Especially since the likes of Oasis have a far bigger economic impact than a Bears game, which attracts mostly locals and suburbanites who typically cart in their own tailgating supplies. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025 For reasons Kripke doesn't wish to divulge at this time, they are carted back to God U for the new calendar year, only Homelander's America has completely infiltrated the campus. EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cart

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, probably from Old Norse kartr; akin to Old English cræt cart

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cart was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cart. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

cart

1 of 2 noun
1
: a heavy two-wheeled wagon usually pulled by a horse
2
: a light usually two-wheeled vehicle
pony cart

cart

2 of 2 verb
: to carry in or as if in a cart
carter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cart

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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