caravan

1 of 2

noun

car·​a·​van ˈker-ə-ˌvan 

ˈka-rə-

1

a

: a company of travelers on a journey through desert or hostile regions

also : a train of pack animals

b

: a group of vehicles traveling together (as in a file)

2

a

: a covered wagon or motor vehicle equipped as traveling living quarters

b

British : trailer sense 1b

caravan

2 of 2

verb

caravanned or caravaned; caravanning or caravaning

intransitive verb

: to travel in a caravan

Synonyms of caravan

Noun

• fleet
• convoy

Examples of caravan in a Sentence

Noun

a funeral caravan slowly making its way down the street

bought a caravan and drove cross-country to California

Verb

We caravaned to the campsite.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For three magical summers between 1997 and 1999, the women’s festival known as Lilith Fair was a touring caravan of musicians, feminist activists and organizers that carried the message of women’s empowerment across North America. — Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

On the night of September 7, Greenidge was trailing in a car behind Knight and Shakur, the front car in a caravan of cars, when the two men were shot. — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Verb

The change, which Cochrane said is an experiment, is also a concession to several external factors that make the old-school style caravans more challenging. — Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 18 Jan. 2026

Each spring, his parents and five siblings would caravan with a couple of other families from South Texas to the Oregon-Idaho border. — Matthew Odam, Austin American-Statesman, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian caravana, from Persian kārvān

First Known Use

Noun

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for caravan

• businessman
• canavan
• constantan
• dragoman
• fisherman
• handyman
• harmattan
• journeyman
• marianne
• middleman
• minivan
• minuteman

Kids Definition

caravan

noun

car·​a·​van

ˈkar-ə-ˌvan

1

a

: a group (as of merchants or pilgrims) traveling together on a long journey through desert or dangerous regions

b

: a group of pack animals or of vehicles traveling together one behind the other

2

: a covered vehicle

especially : one equipped as traveling living quarters