cab
1 Americannoun
-
a taxicab.
-
any of various horse-drawn vehicles, as a hansom or brougham, especially one for public hire.
-
the covered or enclosed part of a locomotive, truck, crane, etc., where the operator sits.
-
the glass-enclosed area of an airport control tower in which the controllers are stationed.
verb (used without object)
noun
noun
noun
-
-
a taxi
-
( as modifier )
a cab rank
-
-
the enclosed compartment of a lorry, locomotive, crane, etc, from which it is driven or operated
-
(formerly) a light horse-drawn vehicle used for public hire
-
informal the first person, etc, to do or take advantage of something
abbreviation
-
(in Britain) Citizens' Advice Bureau
-
(in the US) Civil Aeronautics Board
noun
Etymology
Origin of cab1
First recorded in 1640–50; short for cabriolet
Origin of cab2
First recorded in 1525–35; from Hebrew qabh
Explanation
A cab is a taxi, a car whose driver you pay to take you where you need to go. It can feel like a competitive sport to hail a cab in New York City. Your cab driver may talk incessantly while she drives you to the airport, or you might ride in a cab that's silent except for the sound of its horn honking at other drivers. You can also call the front part of a truck, where the driver sits, the cab. In the 1820s, the word meant "horse-drawn carriage," short for the French cabriolet, "leap or caper." The Latin root is capreolus, "wild goat."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I'm going to give it my all until the end of the season to finish this adventure with CAB in the best possible way."
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
"We found an unexpected chemical complexity, with abundances far higher than predicted by current theoretical models," explains lead author Dr. Ismael García Bernete formerly of Oxford University and now a researcher at CAB.
From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026
Britain's CAB Payments has taken the rare step of setting a fixed price for its share offering that values it at the lower end of its previously reported range.
From Reuters • Jun. 30, 2023
A CAB pilot who re-created Bridoux’s route in a similar P-38, noted that downward visibility was poor and his left elbow repeatedly hit the radio knob, turning down the volume.
From Washington Post • Aug. 21, 2021
Thus ∠A is read "BAC," the reflex angle on the outside of the triangle being read "CAB."
From The Teaching of Geometry by Smith, David Eugene
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.