trolley

American  

[trol-ee] / ˈtrɒl i /

Sometimes trolly

noun

trolleys plural

1. trolley car.

2. a pulley or truck traveling on an overhead track and serving to support and move a suspended object.

3. a grooved metallic wheel or pulley carried on the end of a pole trolley pole by an electric car or locomotive, and held in contact with an overhead conductor, usually a suspended wire trolley wire, from which it collects the current for the propulsion of the car or locomotive.

4. any of various devices for collecting current for such a purpose, as a pantograph, or a bowlike structure bow trolley sliding along an overhead wire, or a device underground trolley for taking current from the underground wire or conductor used by some electric railways.

5. a small truck or car operated on a track, as in a mine or factory.

6. a serving cart, as one used to serve desserts.

7. Chiefly British. any of various low carts or vehicles, as a railway handcar or costermonger's cart.

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verb (used with or without object)

trolleyed, trolleying

1. to convey or go by trolley.

idioms

1. off one's trolley,

   1. in a confused mental state.

   2. insane.

      He's been off his trolley for years, but his family refuses to have him committed.

trolley British  

/ ˈtrɒlɪ /

noun

1. a small table on casters used for conveying food, drink, etc

2. a wheeled cart or stand pushed by hand and used for moving heavy items, such as shopping in a supermarket or luggage at a railway station

3. (in a hospital) a bed mounted on casters and used for moving patients who are unconscious, immobilized, etc

4. See trolleybus

5. See trolley car

6. a device that collects the current from an overhead wire ( trolley wire ), third rail, etc, to drive the motor of an electric vehicle

7. a pulley or truck that travels along an overhead wire in order to support a suspended load

8. a low truck running on rails, used in factories, mines, etc, and on railways

9. a truck, cage, or basket suspended from an overhead track or cable for carrying loads in a mine, quarry, etc

10. slang

    1. mentally confused or disorganized

    2. insane

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verb

1. (tr) to transport (a person or object) on a trolley

trolley More Idioms  

1. see off one's head (trolley).

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Etymology

Origin of trolley

First recorded in 1815–25; originally dialect; apparently akin to troll ¹

Explanation

A trolley is a vehicle that carries many people and is powered by overhead electrical cables. You can also call a trolley a "tram," "cable car," or "streetcar." If you've ridden a streetcar up and down the hills of San Francisco, you know what a trolley is. Trolleys often travel on rails that are built into the street, using electricity that comes from a third rail or overhead lines. Anyone who grew up watching "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on TV will remember the model Neighborhood Trolley that carried viewers into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

Example Sentences

There’s also a unique downtown waterfront with restaurants and bars and a free Looper Trolley that connects to the city’s major attractions.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 29, 2025

Trolley buses sputtered to a halt in the middle of the road.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

I first encountered modern light rail when I lived in San Diego, where the San Diego Trolley debuted in 1981.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2024

Sourcing things like the correct wheels that would make it appear that Trolley is seamlessly traveling down Someplace Else’s cobblestone path took time, as did finding the exact red for Trolley’s iconic color.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2023

“I suppose that would be a fair assessment,” he said, and then quickly added, “I assume you are familiar with Philippa Foot’s Trolley Problem thought experiment?”

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Related Words

• disk
• drum
• roller