limousine

American  

[lim-uh-zeen, lim-uh-zeen] / ˈlɪm əˌzin, ˌlɪm əˈzin /

noun

• limousines
  plural

1. any large, luxurious automobile, especially one driven by a chauffeur.

2. a large sedan or small bus, especially one for transporting passengers to and from an airport, between train stations, etc.

3. a former type of automobile having a permanently enclosed compartment for from three to five persons, with a roof projecting forward over the driver's seat in front.

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limousine British  

/ ˈlɪməˌziːn, ˌlɪməˈziːn /

noun

1. any large and luxurious car, esp one that has a glass division between the driver and passengers

2. a former type of car in which the roof covering the rear seats projected over the driver's compartment

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• limousines
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of limousine

1900–05; < French: kind of motorcar, special use of limousine long cloak, so called because worn by the shepherds of Limousin

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Explanation

A limousine is a fancy car that's driven by a special driver. Some high school kids hire limousines to take them and their friends to the prom. Some limousines are unusually long, stretched-out versions of regular sedans, while others are merely large and luxurious. The passengers in a limousine sit in the back, sometimes separated from the driver, or chauffeur, by a partition. Wealthy people might own their limousines, but most people rent them for special occasions like weddings. In the US, the word is also used to mean a more ordinary type of hired car: "I'll just take a limousine to the airport."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

limousine limousines

He instead asked how fast his presidential limousine could travel.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

The president and First Lady Melania Trump took a ceremonial lap of the 1.7-mile track in his presidential limousine, The Beast.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Trump, 80, is expected to take a ceremonial lap of honor in his armored limousine dubbed "The Beast" and then wave the green flag to start the race.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Nearby, a driver for a limousine service chatted with his dispatcher.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

It was 12:56 A.M. when Gerald drove up onto the grass and pulled the limousine right next to the cemetery.

From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

He masterminded “Hopscotch,” the opera presented throughout downtown L.A. and environs, with the audience riding in limousines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

There was a two-story parking garage where patrons could have their limousines serviced as well as casitas to rent for the season and a dormitory for working women above the shops.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025

It scrambled senior officials to talks in Geneva and all of Sunday we saw delegates from the US and Ukraine shuttling back and forth between the two main venues in black limousines with darkened windows.

From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025

Bingo, nearly a decade later the lawsuits have racked up only losses in their campaign to blame Exxon for providing the fuel for the limousines and jets that Rockefeller trustees ride around in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

The good part of this is that since I was there when Big Joe was first talking about his funeral I was going to get to ride in one of the limousines.

From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers

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