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• carousel
  carousel

  noun

  merry-go-round.
• Carousel
  Carousel

  a circular tray in which photographic transparencies are held on a projector and from which they are lowered through slots for projection as the tray is rotated.

carousel

¹ American  

[kar-uh-sel, kar-uh-sel] / ˌkær əˈsɛl, ˈkær əˌsɛl /

Sometimes carrousel

noun

1. merry-go-round.

2. a continuously revolving belt, track or other device on which items are placed for later retrieval.

   a baggage carousel at an airport.

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Carousel ² American  

[kar-uh-sel, kar-uh-sel] / ˌkær əˈsɛl, ˈkær əˌsɛl /

Trademark.

1. a circular tray in which photographic transparencies are held on a projector and from which they are lowered through slots for projection as the tray is rotated.

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carousel British  

/ ˌkærəˈsɛl, -ˈzɛl /

noun

1. a circular magazine in which slides for a projector are held: it moves round as each slide is shown

2. a rotating conveyor belt for luggage, as at an airport

3. 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

4. history a tournament in which horsemen took part in races and various manoeuvres in formation

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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.

Example Sentences

“I park in a big parking structure at Carousel mall and I hear this flute. Come to find out he would go there weekly because of the acoustics in the area.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

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

“You learned some new stuff about your mom and sister? And what the heck does Carousel Carl have to do with anything?”

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• roundabout
• whirligig