carousel

noun

car·​ou·​sel ˌker-ə-ˈsel 

ˌka-rə-

also

-ˈzel  ˈker-ə-ˌsel 

ˈka-rə-

variants or less commonly carrousel

1

: a tournament or exhibition in which horsemen execute evolutions

2

a

: merry-go-round

b

: a circular conveyor

the luggage carousel at the airport

c

: a revolving case or tray used for storage or display

Examples of carousel in a Sentence

He loves to ride on the carousel at the park.

the luggage carousel at the airport

a CD player with a six-disk carousel

Recent Examples on the Web

From Kirk Cousins to a handful of injury replacements in 2023 to Sam Darnold in 2024 to McCarthy in 2025, O’Connell has had a carousel of starting quarterbacks in his four years and might well have a new one in 2026 with Murray. —Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026

Rapid evolution In the cat-and-mouse game of modern warfare, there is a continual carousel of offensive weapons development and responsive defensive countermeasures. —Iain Boyd, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2026

Elsewhere in the Instagram photo carousel, Kardashian models several other pieces from the new line. —Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026

Skims, Kim Kardashian’s lingerie brand, got huge operating primarily on a drop model—a never-ending carousel of novel products, available first come, first served. —Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French carrousel, from Italian carosello

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carousel

• bagatelle
• caravel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• infidel
• isabel
• machiavel

Kids Definition

carousel

noun

car·​ou·​sel

variants also carrousel

ˌkar-ə-ˈsel

also -ˈzel;

ˈkar-ə-ˌsel

also -ˌzel

: merry-go-round sense 1