trolley

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noun trol·ley \ ˈträ-lē \

variants: or less commonly trolly

Definition of trolley

plural trolleys also trollies

1 a :a streetcar powered electrically through a trolley — called also trolley car

b :a device that carries electric current from an overhead wire to an electrically driven vehicle

2 :a wheeled carriage running on an overhead rail or track

3 chiefly British :a cart or wheeled stand used for conveying something (such as food or books)

4 dialectal, England :a cart of any of various kinds

See trolley defined for English-language learners

See trolley defined for kids

Recent Examples of trolley from the Web

The music runs from 6 p.m. to midnight; the trolleys start at 7 p.m. and circulate to each stop approximately every 30 minutes.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Who to see as the 39th Chicago Jazz Fest gets set to swing," 24 Aug. 2017
The trolley problem, that hoary old mainstay of philosophy syllabi and drunken ethical squabbles, is, to put it bluntly, hot right now.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The show exposes the foibles and contradictions embedded in the minds of an audience.," 16 Aug. 2017
Silvey pointed to a death last May at West Virginia’s Pinnacle Mine where a miner riding a trolley rose up and struck his head on the mine roof.

— dylan lovan, The Seattle Times, "Union, feds at odds on countering surge in coal mine deaths," 3 Aug. 2017
Other Kansas City tours The owners of KC Barbecue Tours also operate a trolley and a pair of bright red double-decker buses under the company name KC Double Decker Tours.

— sarah gish, kansascity, "Barbecue and beyond: Nine ways to rock a summer staycation in Kansas City," 27 July 2017
There's a free trolley service to make parking a breeze.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Free Waterfront Wednesday returns this week with Strand of Oaks," 25 July 2017
Kahlo died at age 47 after suffering from deteriorating health and complications stemming from a trolley accident that caused her extensive physical pain for most of her adult life.

— maria clark, NOLA.com, "Frida Fest draws fans of painter Frida Kahlo to Bay St. Louis," 7 July 2017
Miami-Dade County transit buses and trolleys will continue to run as the project continues.

— johnny diaz, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Heading to Miami Beach? Watch out for a new detour at Indian Creek Drive," 5 July 2017
The free Navy Pier trolley will run from 10 a.m. until midnight Tuesday on a looping route, providing transportation between Navy Pier and various parking garages, along Grand Avenue to State Street, and the Art Institute.

— leonor vivanco, chicagotribune.com, "5 things to know about the Navy Pier fireworks show," 2 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of trolley

probably from ²troll

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1823

See Words from the same year

trolley

verb

variants: or less commonly trolly

Definition of trolley

trolleyed also trollied; trolleying also trollying

transitive verb

:to convey by a trolley

intransitive verb

:to ride on a trolley

First Known Use of trolley

1882

TROLLEY Defined for English Language Learners

trolley

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noun

Definition of trolley for English Language Learners

: an electric vehicle that runs along the street on tracks
: a vehicle that is pulled along tracks on the ground by a moving cable or that hangs from a moving cable
: a metal basket on wheels used to hold groceries while you are shopping