carpet

noun

car·​pet ˈkär-pət 

1

: a heavy often tufted fabric used as a floor covering

also : a floor covering made of this fabric

2

: a surface or layer resembling or suggesting a carpet

carpet verb

Phrases

on the carpet

: before an authority for censure or reproof

got called on the carpet by his boss

Examples of carpet in a Sentence

We bought a new carpet for the bedroom.

Which brand of carpet did you choose?

The ground was covered by a carpet of leaves.

Recent Examples on the Web

The vintage shoes are displayed against the backdrop of Xavier Feal’s brushed steel shelves and Vincent Darré’s pink geometric Labyrinth carpet. —Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025

That meant lining the walls with House of Hackney’s Moroccan carpet-style wallpaper and adding a faux fireplace painted with Valspar Berry Brandy to complement the pattern. —Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025

The couple has also walked several red carpets together over the years, from the 2022 Grammys and the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty to the Barbie premiere’s iconic pink carpet. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025

Leyden Lewis Design Studio worked on a sultry salon with aubergine walls and a patchwork silk carpet. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French carpite, from Old Italian carpita, from carpire to pluck, modification of Latin carpere to pluck — more at harvest

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing carpet

• Brussels carpet
• call (someone) on the carpet
• carpet beetle
• carpet bomb
• carpet slipper
• carpet sweeper
• magic carpet
• red carpet
• roll out the red carpet
• sweep (something) under the carpet
• tapestry carpet

Kids Definition

carpet

noun

car·​pet ˈkär-pət 

1

: a heavy fabric used especially as a floor covering

2

: a covering like a carpet

carpet verb