wagon

play

noun wag·on \ ˈwa-gən \

Definition of wagon

1 a :a usually four-wheeled vehicle for transporting bulky commodities and drawn originally by animals

b :a lighter typically horse-drawn vehicle for transporting goods or passengers

c :paddy wagon

2 British :a railway freight car

3 :a low four-wheeled vehicle with an open rectangular body and a retroflex tongue made for the play or use of a child

4 :a small wheeled table used for the service of a dining room

the dessert wagon

5 :a delivery truck

a milk wagon

6 :station wagon

— off the wagon

:in or into a state of no longer abstaining from alcoholic beverages

fell off the wagon

— on the wagon

:in or into a state of abstaining from alcoholic beverages

See wagon defined for English-language learners

See wagon defined for kids

Examples of wagon in a Sentence

Pioneers crossed the American Midwest in wagons.
He pulled his stuffed animals around in a little red wagon.

Recent Examples of wagon from the Web

But our favorite detail is the tiny red wagon filled with pumpkins.

— lauren smith, House Beautiful, "Halloween Fairy Gardens Will Be All the Rage This Fall," 8 Aug. 2017
Napier and Elam each pulled a wagon carrying one of the twins as the family headed home from eating lunch at a nearby restaurant, authorities have said.

— jennifer baker, Cincinnati.com, "Trial starts for driver accused of killing granddad, twin toddlers," 7 Aug. 2017
Some boys from the Home picked them up in a station wagon and took them straight to the dining hall for dinner.

— kristina goetz, The Courier-Journal, "Orphans come back to ‘The Home’ that took them in when no one else could," 20 July 2017
Wagons were painted, acts were developed, and animals were trained before winter broke and the next tour started.

— joan dittmann, Post-Tribune, "Circus festival spotlights Peru's heritage," 12 July 2017
The singer-songwriter shared two photos of the family's car after the crash, showing the horrible damage done to the family's Mercedes station wagon.

— michelle profis, Country Living, "Toby Keith's Daughter Was Involved with a "Horrific" Car Crash on the 4th of July," 7 July 2017
Patio benches near the screen are popular, as is a playground with a circus wagon ride for kids.

— travel wisconsin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Enjoy a Bit of Nostalgia at a Drive-In Theater," 6 July 2017
Officers summoned a 'light wagon' to the alley near where investigators focused their work.

— peter nickeas, chicagotribune.com, "2 guns, including rifle, recovered after officer fatally shoots man in Lawndale: police," 2 July 2017
A paddy wagon was outside and some of the drag queens were sitting inside.

— dean eastmond, Teen Vogue, "What the Stonewall Riots Were Like," 29 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of wagon

Dutch wagen, from Middle Dutch — more at wain

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

wagon Synonyms

Synonyms

cart, wain

Related Words

dray, jolt-wagon [Midland], oxcart, spring wagon, wagonette; barrow, hand truck, pushcart, tram, truck, wheelbarrow

wagon

verb

Definition of wagon

intransitive verb

:to travel or transport goods by wagon

transitive verb

:to transport (goods) by wagon

First Known Use of wagon

1606

WAGON Defined for English Language Learners

wagon

play

noun

Definition of wagon for English Language Learners

: a vehicle with four wheels that is used for carrying heavy loads or passengers and that is usually pulled by animals (such as horses)
: a small, low vehicle with four wheels that children play with
: a railway car that carries goods