livery

noun liv·ery \ ˈli-və-rē , ˈliv-rē \

Definition of livery

plural liveries

1 archaic :the apportioning of provisions especially to servants :allowance

2 a :the distinctive clothing or badge formerly worn by the retainers (see ¹retainer 1) of a person of rank

b :a servant's uniform

c :distinctive dress :garb

a nun's traditional livery

d chiefly British :an identifying design (as on a vehicle) that designates ownership

3 archaic

a :one's retainers or retinue

b :the members of a British livery company

4 :the act of delivering legal possession of property

5 a :the feeding, stabling, and care of horses for pay

b :livery stable

c :a concern offering vehicles (such as boats) for rent

a canoe livery

an automobile livery

See livery defined for English-language learners

See livery defined for kids

Examples of livery in a Sentence

the limousine chauffeur was easily distinguished from the cab drivers by his livery

Recent Examples of livery from the Web

A Turkish tourist stands near horse livery in Goreme.

— TIME.com, "THE WAGES OF TERROR," 26 Aug. 2017
The right to own swans was granted to the Vintners and Dyers city livery companies in the 15th century.

— emily cleaver, Smithsonian, "The Fascinating, Regal History Behind Britain’s Swans," 31 July 2017
The star of the show Saturday was the Royal Blue, a round-end observation car painted in the B&O livery of royal blue, gray and gold that seats 40 people in comfortable green and brown chairs that line either side of the car.

— frederick n. rasmussen, baltimoresun.com, "A rail ride takes passengers back in time," 8 July 2017
Schmitt traveled throughout New England and bought antique buildings, including a schoolhouse, a chapel and a livery stable.

— jenna carlesso, courant.com, "Church Group Buys Historic Johnsonville Village," 7 July 2017
A livery stable on 8th Street burned, with the loss of four of the owner’s horses, before citizens hurried to put it out.

— arthur hart, idahostatesman, "Early Idaho buildings were far from ‘firewise’," 1 July 2017
The Indy cars of team owner Michael Andretti's — John's cousin — began promoting the message on their liveries at the Indianapolis 500 and continued to do so throughout the season.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Good news in John Andretti's cancer fight," 29 June 2017
But by securing the rights for a use patent on the intranasal de livery of esketamine (think of squeezing an Afrin bottle), insiders believe Janssen might be sitting on the Prozac of the 21st century.

— rene chun, Los Angeles Magazine, "Inside the Los Angeles Clinic That Uses Ketamine to Treat Depression," 19 June 2017
Forcelli also helped to free Eric Glisson and four co-defendants convicted of the 1995 murder of a livery driver in the Bronx.

— paula mcmahon, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Not your average Fed: New South Florida ATF chief is whistleblower, has exonerated several prisoners," 16 June 2017

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