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

Only ending the quarterback carousel can really make folks believe the offense is ready to take off. — Zac Jackson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

In the carousel of images, Yarmosky, 39, steers the boat and smiles as the pair enjoy some quality time together. — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026

Any caveats about the weather didn’t appear to keep families away from the carnival, as parents and kids advanced from midway games and the carousel to more daring rides like the Ferris wheel and the Ring of Fire. — Jim Dudlicek, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026

Elsewhere in the carousel, a video showed Hadid jumping into the water while her friends looked on. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French carrousel, from Italian carosello

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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