car

1 of 2

noun

ˈkär How to pronounce car (audio)
dialectal also ˈkȯr, 
ˈkyär
Synonyms of carnext
1
: a vehicle moving on wheels: such as
a
archaic : carriage, chariot
b
: a vehicle designed to move on rails (as of a railroad)
The train has 20 cars.
c
: automobile
traveled to Boston by car
2
: the passenger compartment of an elevator
3
: the part of an airship or balloon that carries the passengers and cargo

CAR

2 of 2

abbreviation

civil air regulations

Synonyms of car

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Noun

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Examples of car in a Sentence

Noun I'll wait in the car. He got into the car and drove away. She bought a new car.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Police found several alcoholic beverages in Gonzalez’s car, and officers at the scene said that his breath smelled of alcohol, his speech was slurred, and his eyes were red and watery. — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2026 The collaboration didn’t last long, but one of the few flowers to blossom was the Valhalla, a car unlike almost anything else in Aston’s history. — Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2026 The agency also does not allow deputies to push into or ram cars using the front bumper, as the FHP trooper did in the Bonnie Bouffard case. — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026 After weeks of sleep deprivation, Kong in August fell asleep in her parked car with the A/C running before tennis practice. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for car

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English carre "cart, wagon, small cartload," borrowed from Anglo-French carre, charre, going back to Late Latin carra, plural of carrum "vehicle, cart," going back to Latin, neuter variant of carrus "a kind of Gaulish wagon," borrowed from the Gaulish outcome of Celtic *kr̥s-o-, whence also Old Irish carr "cart, wagon," Welsh car "vehicle" — more at current entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of car was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing car

Rhymes for car

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Browse Nearby Words

Caquetío
car
CAR
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Cite this Entry

“Car.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/car. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

car

noun
ˈkär How to pronounce car (audio)
1
: a vehicle (as an automobile or part of a passenger train) moving on wheels
2
: the passenger compartment of an elevator
3
: the part of a balloon or an airship that carries the passengers and equipment

More from Merriam-Webster on car

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about car

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