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

After two years of dating, Swift and Kelce revealed their engagement in a joint Instagram post in August, which featured a five-photo carousel of the couple surrounded by flowers and Kelce kneeling before Swift. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 8 July 2026

The lighting scheme extends onto nearby buildings, particularly the domed structure above the carousel, and onto signage, including the Meteor Astropub sign. — Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 July 2026

In the eight-photo carousel, the actress recapped her life with a few sweet pictures with her baby, including one of her and Green, 29, cuddling their little one in the hospital room while concealing the newborn’s face. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026

In her carousel of photos on Instagram, Biles wore a stunning high-neck blood red dress, designed by DO LONG, and accessorized with Maison Spoiled High Jewelry. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 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