wagon

noun wag·on \ ˈwa-gən \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

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

The wheels are off the wagon and hurtling towards the moon right now.

— Fox News, "Gorka: Instead of learning from 2016, the press doubled down," 6 Apr. 2018
Eleven Roses offers day trips on the ranch in the spring that offer a peek at 19th century Lake County life, right down to the tour in a wagon pulled by resident Percheron draft mules, Belle and Blue.

— spud hilton, San Francisco Chronicle, "Insider: History buff shares best of Lake County’s present," 5 Apr. 2018
All three of Maci’s children were incorporated into the nuptials: Bentley escorted Jayde, the flower girl, down the aisle, and the two pulled baby Maverick along in a wagon.

— alexia fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Pregnancies, Arrests and Heartbreak: A Guide to All the Teen Mom Stars You Should Know," 4 Apr. 2018
In the middle of the night, police came to his cell, put him in a wagon and took him to the maximum-security Georgia State Prison in Reidsville.

— eliott c. mclaughlin, CNN, "'A wound that remains raw'," 3 Apr. 2018
Organized by the Poor People’s Campaign, the shantytown on the National Mall included poor Southerners who traveled from Mississippi in covered wagons.

— alice george, Smithsonian, "When Robert Kennedy Delivered the News of Martin Luther King’s Assassination," 2 Apr. 2018
Andrew Brochu heard about the group’s efforts and offered to build a similar wagon of that period.

— linda mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Antique wagon rebuilt at Camp Pendleton landmark," 15 Mar. 2018
The resort doesn’t just offer guest rooms —the family can book a cabin, teepee, or even a covered wagon.

— nena farrell, Sunset, "10 Fun Family-Friendly Hotels," 22 Jan. 2018
And Buick is paddling for that wave with two new non-sedans: The Regal Sportback and the Regal TourX wagon.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Buick Regal TourX: A welcome wagon," 23 Mar. 2018

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

Recent Examples of wagon from the Web

The farm's dozens of other attractions, from a train and giant jumping pillows to wagon rides to a pumpkin patch, give it almost amusement-park status.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Get lost! In one of 10 winding Wisconsin corn mazes," 12 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of wagon

1606

WAGON Defined for English Language Learners

wagon

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