car

play

noun \ ˈkär , dialectal also ˈkȯr , ˈkyär \

Definition of car

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

See car defined for English-language learners

See car defined for kids

Examples of car in a Sentence

I'll wait in the car.
He got into the car and drove away.
She bought a new car.

Recent Examples of car from the Web

The Greens, which run the state that’s home to Mercedes and Porsche cars in a coalition with Merkel’s party, also refer to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

— alan crawford, Bloomberg.com, "German Parties Snub U.K. to Back Scotland’s Push to Defy Brexit," 30 Aug. 2017
The Gary officer was turning south in the 3500 block of Calhoun Street at about 8:30 a.m. when another vehicle hit the driver's side door of the officer's car, said Mark Back, Lake County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Gary officer treated for minor injuries after crash," 30 Aug. 2017
In addition, the club members would like to introduce a new community event in the future by offering a bicycle and car seat safety day.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "Kiwanians to hold 49th annual pancake breakfast on Saturday," 30 Aug. 2017
Specialty car and motorcycle owners are invited to participate.

— Daily Southtown, "Community news," 30 Aug. 2017
Our guest was Andrew Billings, Men D-lineman, who can bench press several cars, plays piano and recorder and runs 40 yards in under 5 seconds.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "The Morning Line, 8/30," 30 Aug. 2017
Novartis estimates about 600 patients a year would be eligible for the treatment, which belongs to a class of drugs known as CAR T-cell therapies.

— liz szabo, Kaiser Health News, "Pioneering Cancer Gene Therapy Gets Green Light — And $475,000 Price Tag," 30 Aug. 2017
The cars were featured in a July 11 Statesman story.

— anna webb, idahostatesman, "This Idaho auction of rare old cars may air on TV. You can still bid on 2 unsold ones," 30 Aug. 2017
The car, driven by Menachem Backman, attempted to skirt the bus, but struck its front.

— jason laughlin, Philly.com, "Driver in bus crash that injured dozens of Philly school kids charged," 30 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'car.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of car

Middle English carre, from Anglo-French, from Latin carra, plural of carrum, alteration of carrus, of Celt origin; akin to Old Irish & Middle Welsh carr vehicle; akin to Latin currere to run

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year