carpet

noun

car·​pet ˈkär-pət 

1

: a heavy often tufted fabric used as a floor covering

also : a floor covering made of this fabric

2

: a surface or layer resembling or suggesting a carpet

carpet verb

Phrases

on the carpet

: before an authority for censure or reproof

got called on the carpet by his boss

Examples of carpet in a Sentence

We bought a new carpet for the bedroom.

Which brand of carpet did you choose?

The ground was covered by a carpet of leaves.

Recent Examples on the Web

Before the models hit the runway, stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jordyn Woods and more guests made the pink arrival carpet their own personal catwalk, wearing designs by Dolce & Gabbana, Georges Chakra, Alexander Wang and more. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025

Shuttled in on golf carts to a powder pink carpet, models, media and micro-celebrities mingled as staff passed out marbled Jell-O shots and macarons stamped with the VS logo. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025

Your suitcase comes into contact with dirty airports, hotel carpet, and public streets and bathrooms with every trip. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Oct. 2025

At the event, Madonna and her daughter also had a sweet moment on the carpet, with Lourdes air-kissing her mother and Madonna resting her head on her daughter's shoulder. —Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French carpite, from Old Italian carpita, from carpire to pluck, modification of Latin carpere to pluck — more at harvest

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing carpet

• Brussels carpet
• call (someone) on the carpet
• carpet beetle
• carpet bomb
• carpet slipper
• carpet sweeper
• magic carpet
• red carpet
• roll out the red carpet
• sweep (something) under the carpet
• tapestry carpet

Kids Definition

carpet

noun

car·​pet ˈkär-pət 

1

: a heavy fabric used especially as a floor covering

2

: a covering like a carpet

carpet verb