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
Hardy said his sister would never leave without her car or young daughter. Rudy Chinchilla, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023 Despite having taught driver's ed to high schoolers, Holt had given up driving a car. CBS News, 21 Nov. 2023 The news comes as Ford and other U.S. automakers have struggled to adjust for the lag between consumer enthusiasm and sales of the cars, which have fallen short of expectations and left automakers with factories and lots full of unsold EVs. Breanne Deppisch, Washington Examiner, 21 Nov. 2023 The lawsuit also alleges that Combs blew up Cudi’s car to deter him from seeing Cassie romantically — through a rep, Cudi said the accusations are true. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2023 Zombieland Bumper Cars and Pacific Playground Not your typical bumper car ride, in this version one driver is chosen as Patient Zero – and with each bump infects other cars. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 20 Nov. 2023 Roll forward, wait for the weight of the car, gently disengage the brake and release, silently sliding down, and landing with aplomb. Alexandra Cheney, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2023 The driver of a car involved in a collision with a Metro bus in downtown Seattle on Saturday that left a woman dead and 12 people injured has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, according to police. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2023 Plus, the mat fits great in the trunk of a car, which can make trips from the local plant nursery a lot less stress-inducing when your new plant friend inevitably tips over. Helen Bradshaw, Popular Science, 9 Nov. 2023 See More

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 5 Dec. 2023.

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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