carousel
noun
carousel
1 American
[kar-uh-sel, kar-uh-sel]
/ ˌkær əˈsɛl, ˈkær əˌsɛl /
Sometimes
carrousel
noun
-
carousels
plural
-
a continuously revolving belt, track or other device on which items are placed for later retrieval.
a baggage carousel at an airport.
Carousel
2
American
[kar-uh-sel, kar-uh-sel]
/ ˌkær əˈsɛl, ˈkær əˌsɛl /
Trademark.
carousel
British
/ ˌkærəˈsɛl, -ˈzɛl /
noun
-
a circular magazine in which slides for a projector are held: it moves round as each slide is shown
-
a rotating conveyor belt for luggage, as at an airport
-
Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): merry-go-round, roundabout. a revolving circular platform provided with wooden animals, seats, etc, on which people ride for amusement
-
history a tournament in which horsemen took part in races and various manoeuvres in formation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of carousel
First recorded in 1640–50; from French: “kind of tournament,” from Italian carosello “kind of ball game,” from Neapolitan dialect carusello “game played with clay balls, clay ball,” literally, “little head,” equivalent to carus(o) “shorn head” (perhaps based on the Greek stem kors- “shave”) + -ello diminutive suffix
Explanation
A carousel is a circular, rotating amusement ride with seats for children. Do you like roller coasters or is the carousel more your speed? If you’re at a carnival, a carousel probably has fake horses. But if you’re at an airport, the carousel is a conveyor belt that carries luggage (no horses). Carousel was originally the name of an event at tournaments of 16th century knights. In the carousel, knights would charge, full speed on ornately decorated horses, trying to put the tip of their lance through a golden ring. This carousel was inspired by Middle Eastern games witnessed by knights in the Crusades.
Vocabulary lists containing carousel
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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.
See Examples For:
In addition to Stewart’s ill-conceived effort to raise awareness of the unhoused crisis, the offending image was part of a carousel promoting her QVC candle collection, which she touted as “perfect for Halloween!!!”
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
The same shipments of goods are often moved around repeatedly, hence the name carousel fraud.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Most carousel fraudsters dealt in high-value, high-volume items like mobile phones or computer chips, for which investigators were on the lookout.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Griffith Park’s carousel is especially unique in that it also has horses from master carvers Charles Looff and Charles Carmel, considered the finest carousel craftsmen of the era.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Then we pretend to take the ultimate high-seas adventure on a cruise ship that has a carousel and an ice rink.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
Carousel is a bar featuring arcade games, while Home serves as a nightclub, though both are run together by the same operator.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2025
The Central Park carousel, officially known as the Michael Friedsam Memorial Carousel, was also operated by the Trump Organization; the name “Trump Carousel” also disappeared from that attraction in 2019.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2024
A former high school teacher, Mr. Holzman was the head carver and fund-raiser of the Empire State Carousel, a whimsical and educational reminder of state fairs and carnivals past.
From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2023
It’s a joy to experience the nighttime glow of Sleeping Beauty Castle and King Arthur’s Carousel from a height, as it adds to the fairy-tale nature of the area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
“Now we go back to the Carousel room,” muttered Mr. Nancy, “and old One-Eye buys us all dinner, greases some palms, kisses some babies, and no one says the G-word any more.”
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
This update incentivized lengthy carousels of multi-image posts, especially with some educational content attached that encourages viewer engagement via swipes or saves.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
She took to the stage dressed as a stewardess, dancing across luggage carousels and navigating male dancers dressed as baggage handlers.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
The show’s minimalism extends to its set by Soutra Gilmour: two oversize piles of luggage on a turntable—conceptually clever even if it may trigger unpleasant memories of long, foot-tapping waits at airport carousels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
If you want to see her character’s influence, take a scroll through some Instagram carousels while hungover on November 1.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2025
Anyway, do you know they don’t just have horses and pumpkin carriages on carousels now?
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
