taxi
noun
a taxicab.
taxi
1 American
[tak-see]
/ ˈtæk si /
noun
taxis,
plural
taxies
plural
verb (used without object)
taxies,
present (3rd person singular)
taxied,
past participle, past
taxiing,
present participle
taxying
present participle
-
to ride or travel in a taxicab.
-
(of an airplane) to move over the surface of the ground or water under its own power.
verb (used with object)
taxies,
present (3rd person singular)
taxied,
past participle, past
taxiing,
present participle
taxying
present participle
taxi-
2
American
taxi
British
/ ˈtæksɪ /
noun
verb
-
to cause (an aircraft) to move along the ground under its own power, esp before takeoff and after landing, or (of an aircraft) to move along the ground in this way
-
(intr) to travel in a taxi
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has taxiedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have taxiedperfect
-
is taxiingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am taxyingprogressive 1st person singular
-
is taxyingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been taxyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
has been taxiingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
taxiingparticiple
-
taxyingparticiple
-
are taxyingprogressive
-
am taxiingprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been taxiingperfect progressive
-
taxiessingular 3rd person
-
are taxiingprogressive
-
have been taxyingperfect progressive
Past
-
had taxiedperfect
-
were taxyingprogressive plural
-
had been taxyingperfect progressive
-
was taxyingprogressive singular
-
taxiedsimple
-
was taxiingprogressive singular
-
taxiedparticiple
-
had been taxiingperfect progressive
-
were taxiingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of taxi
1905–10, short for taxicab
Explanation
Running late? Call a taxi. A taxi is a car you hire to drive you somewhere. In some big cities, all you have to do is raise your hand and yell "taxi!" and a taxi will pull up next to you. You can also refer to a taxi as a cab or a taxicab. Most taxis are cars, although boats for hire are sometimes also called taxis. As a verb, taxi describes what airplanes do when they move very slowly on a runway. Officially, taxi is short for taximeter cab, as they were originally named at the turn of the 20th century. Today the taximeter, which records distance and fare, is usually just called a meter.
Vocabulary lists containing taxi
Flying High: Aviation Words
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 1
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Unit 5
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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.
Customers will have to wait a little longer for fully driverless taxi rides, however, as Wayve plans to launch the vehicles with an operator behind the wheel.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
After more than 100 visits to North Korea, Rowan Beard had come to expect long waits for a taxi under the Kim Jong Un regime.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
At the taxi rank at King's Cross, London's black cabs were doing brisk business in the morning rush.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
Waymo is rolling out a new driverless taxi to help the company expand into more cities and tackle tougher driving conditions, including snowy roads, the company announced Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
I crane my neck to see a taxi pull onto Astor Street.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
