Caroline

¹ American

[kar-uh-lahyn, -lin] / ˈkær əˌlaɪn, -lɪn /

adjective

of or relating to Charles, especially Charles I and Charles II of England or their times.

Caroline ² American

[kar-uh-lin, -lahyn] / ˈkær ə lɪn, -ˌlaɪn /

noun

a female given name.

Caroline British

/ ˌkærəˈliːən, ˈkærəˌlaɪn /

adjective

Also called: Carolinian. characteristic of or relating to Charles I or Charles II, kings of England, Scotland, and Ireland, the society over which they ruled, or their government
of or relating to any other king called Charles

"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

Etymology

Origin of Caroline

1645–55; < Medieval Latin Carolīnus, equivalent to Carol(us) Charles + -īnus -ine ¹ ( def. )

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.

As I got older and returned home from college for the holidays, I would join Gigi and my cousins Caroline and Elizabeth at Olive Garden for a meeting of the minds.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

Many passengers have taken to social media to voice their frustration, including South Devon MP Caroline Voaden.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

His writing regimen is the focus of Caroline Bicks’s “Monsters in the Archives.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Hotel bookings show that hasn’t happened, as my colleague Caroline Petrow-Cohen reports.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

There’s a lively conversation going on between Andrew, Michael, and Caroline, but by the time Dana and I sit down, it’s all petered out and the three are staring at me.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023