caravan
[ kar-uh-van ]
/ ˈkær əˌvæn /
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noun
a group of travelers, as merchants or pilgrims, journeying together for safety in passing through deserts, hostile territory, etc.
any group traveling in or as if in a caravan and using a specific mode of transportation, as pack animals or motor vehicles: a caravan of trucks; a camel caravan.
a large covered vehicle for conveying passengers, goods, a sideshow, etc.; van.
Chiefly British. a house on wheels; trailer.
verb (used with object), car·a·vaned or car·a·vanned, car·a·van·ing or car·a·van·ning.
to carry in or as if in a caravan: Trucks caravaned food and medical supplies to the flood's survivors.
verb (used without object), car·a·vaned or car·a·vanned, car·a·van·ing or car·a·van·ning.
to travel in or as if in a caravan: They caravaned through Egypt.
SYNONYMS FOR caravan
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Origin of caravan
1590–1600; earlier carovan<Italian carovana<Persian kārwān
OTHER WORDS FROM caravan
car·a·van·ist, nounWords nearby caravan
carapace, carat, Caratacus, Caratinga, Caravaggio, caravan, caravanner, caravansary, caravanserai, caravel, caraway
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for caravan
British Dictionary definitions for caravan
caravan
/ (ˈkærəˌvæn) /
noun
- a large enclosed vehicle capable of being pulled by a car or lorry and equipped to be lived inUS and Canadian name: trailer
- (as modifier)a caravan site
(esp in some parts of Asia and Africa) a company of traders or other travellers journeying together, often with a train of camels, through the desert
a group of wagons, pack mules, camels, etc, esp travelling in single file
a large covered vehicle, esp a gaily coloured one used by Romany Gypsies, circuses, etc
verb -vans, -vanning or -vanned
(intr) British to travel or have a holiday in a caravan
Derived forms of caravan
caravanning, nounWord Origin for caravan
C16: from Italian caravana, from Persian kārwān
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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