vehicle

[vee-i-kuhl, vee-hi-]

noun

1. any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport.

   a motor vehicle; space vehicles.

2. a conveyance moving on wheels, runners, tracks, or the like, as a cart, sled, automobile, or tractor.

3. a means of transmission or passage.

   Air is the vehicle of sound.

4. a carrier, as of infection.

5. a medium of communication, expression, or display.

   The novel is a fitting vehicle for his talents. Language is the vehicle of thought.

6. Theater, Movies.,  a play, screenplay, or the like, having a role suited to the talents of and often written for a specific performer.

7. a means of accomplishing a purpose.

   College is a vehicle for success.

8. Rhetoric.,  the thing or idea to which the subject of a metaphor is compared, as “rose” in “she is a rose.”

9. Pharmacology.,  a substance, usually fluid, possessing little or no medicinal action, used as a medium for active remedies.

10. Painting.,  a liquid, as oil, in which a pigment is mixed before being applied to a surface.

vehicle

/ ˈviːɪkəl, vɪˈhɪkjʊlə /

noun

1. any conveyance in or by which people or objects are transported, esp one fitted with wheels

2. a medium for the expression, communication, or achievement of ideas, information, power, etc

3. pharmacol a therapeutically inactive substance mixed with the active ingredient to give bulk to a medicine

4. Also called: base. a painting medium, such as oil, in which pigments are suspended

5. (in the performing arts) a play, musical composition, etc, that enables a particular performer to display his talents

6. a rocket excluding its payload

Pronunciation Note

Because the primary stress in vehicle is on the first syllable, the in the second syllable tends to disappear: . A pronunciation with primary stress on the second syllable and a fully pronounced is usually considered nonstandard: . In the adjective vehicular, where the primary stress is normally on the second syllable, the is always pronounced.

Other Word Forms

• vehicular adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vehicle¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin vehiculum, from veh(ere) “to carry, convey, ride” + -i- -i- + -culum -cle ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of vehicle¹

C17: from Latin vehiculum, from vehere to carry

Example Sentences

Ms. Waller-Bridge was almost as funny as Jean Smart in “Hacks,” which lost the Emmy to Seth Rogen’s wobbly vehicle “The Studio,” another example of the industry stroking itself.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A rush to purchase electric vehicles before the $7,500 tax credit expired at the end of the month may be the diver behind the headline increase, noted Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank.

Read more on Barron's

Many regard it as a leveraged investment vehicle offering exposure to Bitcoin, though it does bring in some money from its software business.

Read more on Barron's

Last year, the company launched Amazon Autos, a platform for researching, ordering and financing Hyundai vehicles within 48 cities.

Read more on MarketWatch

By the end of December, Tesla aims to offer its services in at least seven cities, take the safety monitor out of its vehicles in Austin and expand its fleet.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• automobile 
• bicycle 
• boat 
• bus 
• cab 
• car 
• jeep 
• taxi 
• truck 
• van 
• wagon