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Showing results for car. Search instead for CIAR.
Synonyms

car

1 American  
[kahr] / kɑr /

noun

  1. an automobile.

  2. a vehicle running on rails, as a streetcar or railroad car.

  3. the part of an elevator, balloon, modern airship, etc., that carries the passengers, freight, etc.

  4. British Dialect. any wheeled vehicle, as a farm cart or wagon.

  5. Literary. a chariot, as of war or triumph.

  6. Archaic. cart; carriage.

car 2 American  
[kahr] / kɑr /

adjective

Chiefly Scot.

  1. left-handed.

  2. sinister.

CAR 3 American  

  1. computer-assisted retrieval.

car. 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. carat; carats.

car 1 British  
/ kɑː /

noun

    1. Also called: motorcar.   automobile.  a self-propelled road vehicle designed to carry passengers, esp one with four wheels that is powered by an internal-combustion engine

    2. ( as modifier )

      car coat

  2. a conveyance for passengers, freight, etc, such as a cable car or the carrier of an airship or balloon

  3. a railway vehicle for passengers only, such as a sleeping car or buffet car

  4. a railway carriage or van

  5. the enclosed platform of a lift

  6. a poetic word for chariot

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
CAR 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. compound annual return

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What else does car mean? To most of us on the outside, a car is a vehicle with a motor and four wheels. But in prison slang, your car is your crew, especially when it comes to drugs, protection, and money-making.

Other Word Forms

  • carless adjective

Etymology

Origin of car1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English carre, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin carra (feminine singular), from Latin, neuter plural of carrum, variant of carrus “baggage cart, freight wagon,” from Gaulish; akin to Old Irish carr “wheeled vehicle”

Origin of car2

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English ( Scots ), from Scots Gaelic ceàrr “false, left, wrong”

Origin of CAR3

First recorded in 1980–85

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.

Black box car insurance has become a popular option for young drivers, who are often deemed to be more high-risk, as it offers lower insurance premiums.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

So on his new record, “Octane,” the Houston rapper recenters his car obsession and turns to his need for speed as sonic inspiration.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Auto information website Edmunds projected US car sales of 3.7 million in the first quarter, down 6.5 percent from the year-ago period.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

When driving the wrong car to work can get you a ticket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

On the car past the calliope a Farmer’s Friend wind stacker blew out circulars and handbills instead of chaff.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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.