carriage

American  

[kar-ij, kar-ee-ij] / ˈkær ɪdʒ, ˈkær i ɪdʒ /

noun

• carriages
  plural

1. a wheeled vehicle for conveying persons, as one drawn by horses and designed for comfort and elegance.

   Synonyms:

   wagon, car, cart

2. baby carriage.

3. British. a railway passenger coach.

4. a wheeled support, as for a cannon.

5. a movable part, as of a machine, designed for carrying something.

6. manner of carrying the head and body; bearing.

   the carriage of a soldier.

   Synonyms:

   air, demeanor, comportment, mien

7. Also called carriage piece, horse. an inclined beam, as a string, supporting the steps of a stair.

8. the act of transporting; conveyance.

   the expenses of carriage.

9. the price or cost of transportation.

10. (in a typewriter) the moving part carrying the platen and its associated parts, usually set in motion to carry the paper across the point where the print element or type bars strike.

11. management; administration.

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carriage British  

/ ˈkærɪdʒ /

noun

1. a railway coach for passengers

2. the manner in which a person holds and moves his head and body; bearing

3. a four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for persons

4. the moving part of a machine that bears another part

   a typewriter carriage

   a lathe carriage

5. 1. the act of conveying; carrying

   2. the charge made for conveying (esp in the phrases carriage forward, when the charge is to be paid by the receiver, and carriage paid )

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• carriages
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of carriage

1150–1200; Middle English cariage < Anglo-French, Old North French, equivalent to cari ( er ) to carry + -age -age

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Explanation

A carriage is a vehicle with wheels that's usually pulled by horses. In some cities, you can go for a carriage ride through the park. A carriage generally has four wheels and is pulled by two or more horses, while the smaller cart tends to have two wheels and be pulled by a single horse. In Britain, you might hear people refer to the separate compartments of a train as carriages as well, and in some parts of the US it's used to mean "baby stroller" or "grocery cart." The Latin root is carrum, "two-wheeled war chariot."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

carriage carriages

A horse pulling a carriage passes a church in Baracoa, on Cuba’s eastern tip.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Passengers described how dust from a blast wave entered their carriage through the ventilation system.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

In one image, Ali rides in a bicycle carriage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

The two companies will also separately negotiate carriage fees with cable providers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Friends, workmates, and the curious crowd around as Dr. Williams climbs down from his carriage.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Chandeliers, poetry and flower arches decorate a government marriage registry, and officials hope baby carriages will follow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The carriages then begin moving again, but within seconds, they can be seen slowly rolling back and forth, before coming to a standstill.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Two passengers suffered serious injuries and 18 others were also hurt when three carriages of the train came off the tracks near Lewes on Thursday.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

They added that they were working closely with rail company Alstom, which refurbished the carriages used by Lumo, to "rectify the issue".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Bells and conversations and carriages and footsteps burst through the air.

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

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Related Words

• freight

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