a heavy two-wheeled vehicle, commonly without springs, drawn by mules, oxen, or the like, used for the conveyance of heavy goods.
a light two-wheeled vehicle with springs, drawn by a horse or pony.
any small vehicle pushed or pulled by hand.
Obsolete. a chariot.
put the cart before the horse, to do or place things in improper order; be illogical.
on the water cart, wagon.
a heavy open vehicle, usually having two wheels and drawn by horses, used in farming and to transport goods
a light open horse-drawn vehicle having two wheels and springs, for business or pleasure
any small vehicle drawn or pushed by hand, such as a trolley
to reverse the usual or natural order of things
(usually tr) to use or draw a cart to convey (goods, etc)
to cart groceries
(tr) to carry with effort; haul
to cart wood home
before 900; Middle English cart ( e ), Old English cræt (by metathesis); cognate with Old Norse kartr cart
A cart is a vehicle with wheels that's pulled by an animal, a person, or by another vehicle. You could attach a cart to your dog and teach him to pull it around. The typical cart is hooked up to a draft horse or another farm animal. Other kinds of carts include hand carts, which can be stacked with heavy items and easily pushed or pulled by people; and golf carts, which are open vehicles that are powered by electricity or gasoline. When you cart something around, you lug it or transport it. The word cart comes from a Scandinavian source, probably the Old Norse kartr.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Zanardi found a seat back in Cart in 2001, driving for a team set up by his former Ganassi engineer Mo Nunn.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
Iko, a newcomer, started with a Micro Mini Cart that can hold barbell weights.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
The food bank has a program, called Cart With A Heart, in which people can donate $50 toward fresh produce, protein and other staples to feed two families for a week.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025
"You can imagine another piece for the Times with a completely different headline: 'In the Shopping Cart of American Households: Lots of Soda,'" Wartman Lawless wrote.
From Salon • Jun. 26, 2023
Mr. Lemoncello, Dr. Zinchenko, and Clarence were standing in the same spot that had served as the starting line for the Library Cart Relay Race.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
