carousel

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

merry-go-round

2 of 2

noun (2)

mer·​ry-go-round ˈmer-ē-gō-ˌrau̇nd 

-gə-

1

a

: an amusement park ride with seats often in the form of animals (such as horses) revolving about a fixed center

The children grabbed each other by the hand and danced off in the direction of the merry-go-round, toward the wonderful music and the wonderful adventure and the wonderful excitement …

—E. B. White

called also carousel

b

: a children's playground apparatus consisting of a platform that revolves about a fixed center

And every day at recess, Reuben would push us on the merry-go-round on the playground. He would push us really fast, and we all thought Reuben made recess great fun—as long as we held on tight and didn't fall off as we whirled around.

—Terri Auchter

2

: a cycle of activity that is complex, fast-paced, or difficult to break out of

the corporate merry-go-round

Synonyms of carousel

Noun (2)

• wheel
• cycle
• circle

Examples of carousel in a Sentence

Noun (1)

He loves to ride on the carousel at the park.

the luggage carousel at the airport

a CD player with a six-disk carousel

Noun (2)

weary of the daily merry-go-round of commuting to his job in the city

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Their 2-year-old son, Heath, also made appearances throughout the carousel. —Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026

Chernavskaya had previously shared a carousel of photos on Instagram featuring the late singer. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 17 June 2026

Noun

One reason writers and other visitors are attracted to the 1886 hotel is its legendary Carousel Bar, which features a 25-seat merry-go-round. —Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026

Of course, the pitfalls of rooting a soap opera in the world of modern football means your supporting characters are at the mercy of the transfer merry-go-round. —Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French carrousel, from Italian carosello

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1729, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for carousel

• bagatelle
• calomel
• caravel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• coronel
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• hydrocele

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