cavalcade

noun cav·al·cade \ ˌka-vəl-ˈkād , ˈka-vəl-ˌ \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of cavalcade

1 a : a procession (see ¹procession 1) of riders or carriages

b : a procession of vehicles or ships

2 : a dramatic sequence or procession : series

a cavalcade of natural disasters

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Examples of cavalcade in a Sentence

The cavalcade arrived at the hotel.
a cavalcade of antique cars
a cavalcade of natural disasters

Recent Examples of cavalcade from the Web

Under gray skies, a cavalcade of officers on motorbikes and horseback led the funeral procession through the capital towards the Hotel des Invalides, a historic building dedicated to France's servicemen and women.

— sheena mckenzie and nicole chavez, CNN, "France honors hero officer who swapped places with hostage," 28 Mar. 2018
In the other — a response to a cavalcade of ads from the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) — the Lamb campaign clarifies the Democrat’s opposition to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

— david weigel, Washington Post, "Attack ads fly in Pennsylvania as Republican meets with pro-privatization group," 12 Feb. 2018
At one level, the book introduces 2- to 5-year-olds to a cavalcade of wild creatures rendered in jolly collage, each animal linked to the next by a common trait.

— meghan cox gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Of Every Stripe," 16 Mar. 2018
But as the real-world cavalcade of political news gets wilder and wilder, Saturday Night Live is being left behind by comedians like Samantha Bee and Seth Meyers.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Saturday Night Live," 12 Mar. 2018
The cavalcade of hard rockers will hit arena- and amphitheater-sized venues from late July through the start of September.

— chris payne, Billboard, "Avenged Sevenfold Announces Summer Tour With Three Days Grace & Prophets of Rage," 6 Mar. 2018
The first picnic was held in 1973 and over the years, a cavalcade of influential acts like Waylon Jennings, the Grateful Dead, Townes Van Zandt, Ernest Tubb, George Jones, and Johnny Cash played the festival stage.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Sturgill Simpson leads Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic lineup for 2018," 6 Mar. 2018
MetLife joined the cavalcade of companies ending their discount program for NRA members, per a Friday tweet.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: #BoycottNRA courses through Wall Street," 26 Feb. 2018
Never is the Mother of Mystics more ready for the opening Conde Cavaliers cavalcade than during a thaw, because everyone knows the trees and power lines of downtown are meant to be draped with beads, not icicles.

— the masked observer, AL.com, "The Masked Observer is ready to celebrate warmer temps and significant anniversaries," 24 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cavalcade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The History of cavalcade

When cavalcade was first used in English, it meant "a horseback ride" or "a march or raid made on horseback." Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, used it this way in his 1647 History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England: "He had with some Troops, made a Cavalcade or two into the West." From there came the "procession of riders" meaning and eventual applications to processions in a broader sense. Cavalcade came to English via French from the Old Italian noun cavalcata, which in turn came from an Old Italian verb, cavalcare, meaning "to go on horseback." Ultimately, these words came from the Latin word caballus, meaning "horse." The combining form –cade also appears in other words describing particular kinds of processions, such as motorcade or the less common aquacade.

Origin and Etymology of cavalcade

French, ride on horseback, from Old Italian cavalcata, from cavalcare to go on horseback, from Late Latin caballicare, from Latin caballus horse; akin to Greek kaballeion horse, Middle Irish capall workhorse

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1644

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