cart

[ kahrt ]
See synonyms for: cartcartingcartable on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a heavy two-wheeled vehicle, commonly without springs, drawn by mules, oxen, or the like, used for the conveyance of heavy goods.

  2. a light two-wheeled vehicle with springs, drawn by a horse or pony.

  1. any small vehicle pushed or pulled by hand.

  2. Obsolete. a chariot.

verb (used with object)
  1. to haul or convey in or as if in a cart or truck: to cart garbage to the dump.

verb (used without object)
  1. to drive a cart.

Verb Phrases
  1. cart off / away to transport or take away in an unceremonious manner: The police came and carted him off to jail.

Idioms about cart

  1. on the water cart, British. wagon (def. 14).

  2. put the cart before the horse, to do or place things in improper order; be illogical.

Origin of cart

1
before 900; Middle English cart(e), Old English cræt (by metathesis); cognate with Old Norse kartr cart

Other words from cart

  • cart·a·ble, adjective
  • carter, noun
  • un·cart·ed, adjective

Words that may be confused with cart

Words Nearby cart

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cart in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cart (1 of 3)

cart1

/ (kɑːt) /


noun
  1. a heavy open vehicle, usually having two wheels and drawn by horses, used in farming and to transport goods

  2. a light open horse-drawn vehicle having two wheels and springs, for business or pleasure

  1. any small vehicle drawn or pushed by hand, such as a trolley

  2. put the cart before the horse to reverse the usual or natural order of things

verb
  1. (usually tr) to use or draw a cart to convey (goods, etc): to cart groceries

  2. (tr) to carry with effort; haul: to cart wood home

Origin of cart

1
C13: from Old Norse kartr; related to Old English cræt carriage, Old French carete; see car

Derived forms of cart

  • cartable, adjective
  • carter, noun

British Dictionary definitions for cart (2 of 3)

cart2

/ (kɑːt) /


noun
  1. radio television short for cartridge (def. 4)

British Dictionary definitions for CART (3 of 3)

CART

abbreviation for
  1. Championship Auto Racing Teams

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with cart

cart

In addition to the idioms beginning with cart

  • cart before the horse, put the
  • cart off

also see:

  • upset the applecart

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.