carl
carl
1 American
[kahrl]
/ kɑrl /
Or
carle
noun
-
Scot.
-
a strong, robust fellow, especially a strong manual laborer.
-
a miser; an extremely thrifty person.
-
-
Archaic. a churl.
-
Obsolete. a bondman.
Carl
2
American
[kahrl]
/ kɑrl /
noun
carl
British
/ kɑːl /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of carl
before 1000 (in compounds; see housecarl); Middle English; Old English -carl < Old Norse karl man; cognate with Old High German karl; akin to churl
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:
Aye, child, and more's the pity: he is the ablest carl I have known; but Denmark has given birth to him to her own ruin.
From The Childhood of King Erik Menved An Historical Romance by Bernhard Severin Ingemann
Yer'll stop along of me till I kin carl my ringolets myself.
From A Sheaf of Corn by Mary E. Mann
Whae’er desires to ken, To some other warl’ Maun follow the carl, For here Johnny had none!
From Curious Epitaphs by Various
Now this I must say, that thou dost not look exactly the kind of carl who should woo a jarl's daughter.
From The Childhood of King Erik Menved An Historical Romance by Bernhard Severin Ingemann
When came the carl to the lady's yett, He rudely, rudely rapped thereat.
From English and Scottish Ballads, Volume II (of 8) by Various
After listening to the recording, Carl feels he has no choice but to bring it to Department Q: “He couldn’t get the woman’s scream out of his head.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
BBC correspondent Carl Nasman speaks to both fans and protesters who have shown up for the event in Philadelphia.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Curtis said Reiner broke the record set by his father, Carl Reiner, for the longest gap between acting Emmys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust, said the argument for raising rates isn’t as clear-cut as the markets and many commentators believe, adding that the central bank has no easy options.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Before a policeman closed the back doors of the ambulance, Carl shouted, “We’ve got a pulse!”
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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.
