caravan

1 of 2

noun

car·​a·​van ˈker-ə-ˌvan How to pronounce caravan (audio)
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

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
From its release in 2002, the Sorento's always been a decent all-rounder, lugging caravans, suitcases and families of five with ease. Matthew MacConnell, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Kicked out of the family home for brotherly love – loving the wrong brother – Nic is reduced to sharing a caravan with her not so trustworthy best friend Jen. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
Northern Arizona employees gathered in Flagstaff before meeting in Holbrook with employees from Payson and Snowflake to caravan across the country. Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 12 Oct. 2024 Every year, my nuclear family caravaned to Colima, a small state in western Mexico, with at least four other families. Natalie Arroyo Camacho, refinery29.com, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for caravan 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of caravan was in 1588

Dictionary Entries Near caravan

Cite this Entry

“Caravan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caravan. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on caravan

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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