carpet
Americannoun
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carpets
plural
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a heavy fabric, commonly of wool or nylon, for covering floors.
-
a covering of this material.
-
any relatively soft surface or covering like a carpet.
They walked on the carpet of grass.
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any of a number of airborne electronic devices for jamming radar.
-
a system of such devices.
verb (used with object)
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carpets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
carpeted,
past participle, past
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carpeting
present participle
-
to cover or furnish with or as with a carpet.
-
Chiefly British. to reprimand.
idioms
noun
-
-
a heavy fabric for covering floors
-
( as modifier )
a carpet sale
-
-
a covering like a carpet
a carpet of leaves
-
informal
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before authority to be reproved for misconduct or error
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under consideration
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verb
-
to cover with or as if with a carpet
-
informal to reprimand
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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recarpetverb (used with object)
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carpetlessadjective
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carpetlikeadjective
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uncarpetedadjective
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well-carpetedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
carpetsimple
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carpetssimple
-
have carpetedperfect
-
has carpetedperfect
-
am carpetingprogressive
-
are carpetingprogressive
-
is carpetingprogressive
-
have been carpetingperfect progressive
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has been carpetingperfect progressive
Past
-
carpetedsimple
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had carpetedperfect
-
was carpetingprogressive
-
were carpetingprogressive
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had been carpetingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of carpet
1300–50; Middle English carpete cloth covering for a table, floor, bed, etc. < Middle French carpite or Medieval Latin carpīta < Italian carpita woolen bedspread < Vulgar Latin *carpīta, past participle of carpīre, for Latin carpere to pluck, card (wool)
Explanation
A carpet is a thick, woven floor covering. Most carpets cover the whole floor in a room, as opposed to a rug, which only covers a small section. Carpets are made from polyester fibers, or wool, or nylon — most often, these soft materials are loops or strings that form the carpet's "pile," and are attached to a solid backing. A carpet can be very densely woven and flat, or it can be tufted and thick. To carpet means to cover something as if with a carpet: "Then the snow carpets the ground, and winter is here."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Dr Martyn Kurr, a marine biologist from Bangor University told BBC News that non-native or "biofouling" species, like the carpet sea squirt, can outcompete native wildlife for valuable nutrients.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
“It’s very hard for people to accept that the Oriental carpet they bought now will have only $100 or $200 worth of value,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
They reunited earlier this year and walked the red carpet together for the BET Awards on June 28.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The videos show a mix of congressional aides, associates of Mr. McConnell, health and support staff, his wife, Elaine Chao, and even men holding carpet samples.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The Persian carpet suddenly filled up with a murmuring multitude of mice.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
In recent months, artsy shots of glossy naked nails have been flooding social media and taking over fashion runways and red carpets, which some are viewing as the latest symbol of "quiet luxury".
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Her work appears mostly on red carpets, onstage and in museum collections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
The government has also introduced "geographical indication" tags that help distinguish genuine Kashmiri carpets from cheap imitations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
She panics on red carpets and says interviews make her nervous, although she certainly doesn’t seem it today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Tattered but freshly swept carpets covered the highly polished hardwood floors, and the rooms were filled with antique velvet-covered chairs inherited from my great-grandma.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
We meet Mona in media res, nervously tapping her shoes on the carpeted lobby floor and fretting over her audition.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
The couples made their way onto the carpeted floor as Moon sprinkled Holy water onto them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
Swaths of the region are carpeted in grasses that each year grow and then die, creating what Acuña described as a patchwork of layers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Depending on where you are reading this, your doormat may have been carpeted with colourful leaflets for weeks and your TV and social media feeds chocca with political promises.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
I shuffled off the elevator and down the carpeted hallway.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
AFP video footage showed that the fire had burned down the mosque's interior carpeting and blackened the walls.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
My wife absolutely loves the full shag carpeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Luckily, she found both at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach, which her team covered in red carpeting to stay faithful to the Sherman Oaks mall’s original design.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Movie theaters with patterned carpeting have been deemed liminal, as have fast-food restaurants, parking garages and malls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
There is a grand foyer with sixteen hand-blown crystal chandeliers, red carpeting, and enormous corridors that are more than sixty feet high.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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