carol

[ kar-uh l ]

/ ˈkær əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR carol ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a song, especially of joy.

a Christmas song or hymn.

a seat in a bay window or oriel.

a compartment in a cloister, similar to a carrel.

a kind of circular dance.

verb (used without object), car·oled, car·ol·ing or (especially British) car·olled, car·ol·ling.

to sing Christmas songs or hymns, especially in a group performing in a public place or going from house to house.

to sing, especially in a lively, joyous manner; warble.

verb (used with object), car·oled, car·ol·ing or (especially British) car·olled, car·ol·ling.

to sing joyously.

to praise or celebrate in song.

Nearby words

carné, caro, caro's acid, carob, caroche, carol, carol city, carol ii, carol stream, carol., carola

Origin of carol

1250–1300; Middle English carole ring, circle (of stones), enclosed place for study (see carrel), ringdance with song (hence, song) < Anglo-French carole, Old French *corole (compare Old Provençal corola), apparently < Latin corolla garland (see corolla), conflated with Latin choraula < Greek choraúlēs piper for choral dance, equivalent to chor(ós) chorus + -aulēs, derivative of aulós pipe

Related forms

car·ol·er; especially British, car·ol·ler, nounout·car·ol, verb (used with object), out·car·oled, out·car·ol·ing or (especially British) out·car·olled, out·car·ol·ling.un·car·oled, adjectiveun·car·olled, adjective

Definition for carol (2 of 4)

Carol

[ kar-uh l ]

/ ˈkær əl /

noun

a male or female given name.

Definition for carol (3 of 4)

Carol.

Carolingian.

Definition for carol (4 of 4)

Carol II

[ kar-uh l; Romanian kah-rawl ]

/ ˈkær əl; Romanian ˈkɑ rɔl /

noun

1893–1953, king of Romania 1930–40.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for carol

A Christmas Carol revived and reinvented it around the gift of giving.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Finally, a score or so of films have been made of the story, some called A Christmas Carol and others, simply, Scrooge.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When A Christmas Carol was published just in time for the Christmas of 1843, the holiday had been in a long decline in England.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By that logic however, Carol is also being floated as a possible casualty of the episode.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Meanwhile, Beth is working from inside the hospital to secure the drugs Carol needs and to keep her hooked up to an IV drip.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With the congressman's secretary and the teacher Carol leased a small flat.
Main Street|Sinclair Lewis
Dora was nearly a couple of inches taller than Miss Carol, and some three years older.
The Missionary|George Griffith
After "setting the hook" securely, Carol and Bill donned swim suits, dove overboard and swam lazily the 300 yards in to shore.
The Day of the Dog|Anderson Horne
What workman would not be glad to carol such stanzas as the following, if they were set to popular airs?
John Greenleaf Whittier|W. Sloane Kennedy
Though the town seemed to Carol to change no more than the surrounding fields, there was a constant shifting, these three years.
Main Street|Sinclair Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for carol (1 of 2)

carol

/ (ˈkærəl) /

noun

a joyful hymn or religious song, esp one (a Christmas carol) celebrating the birth of Christ

archaic an old English circular dance

verb -ols, -olling or -olled or US -ols, -oling or -oled

(intr) to sing carols at Christmas

to sing (something) in a joyful manner

Derived Forms

caroler or caroller, nouncaroling or carolling, noun

Word Origin for carol

C13: from Old French, of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for carol (2 of 2)

Carol II

/ (ˈkærəl) /

noun

1893–1953, king of Romania (1930–40), who was deposed by the Iron Guard

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