carousel
noun
carousel
1 American
[kar-uh-sel, kar-uh-sel]
/ ˌkær əˈsɛl, ˈkær əˌsɛl /
Sometimes
carrousel
noun
carousels
plural
-
a continuously revolving belt, track or other device on which items are placed for later retrieval.
a baggage carousel at an airport.
Carousel
2
American
[kar-uh-sel, kar-uh-sel]
/ ˌkær əˈsɛl, ˈkær əˌsɛl /
Trademark.
carousel
British
/ ˌkærəˈsɛl, -ˈzɛl /
noun
-
a circular magazine in which slides for a projector are held: it moves round as each slide is shown
-
a rotating conveyor belt for luggage, as at an airport
-
Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): merry-go-round. roundabout. a revolving circular platform provided with wooden animals, seats, etc, on which people ride for amusement
-
history a tournament in which horsemen took part in races and various manoeuvres in formation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of carousel
First recorded in 1640–50; from French: “kind of tournament,” from Italian carosello “kind of ball game,” from Neapolitan dialect carusello “game played with clay balls, clay ball,” literally, “little head,” equivalent to carus(o) “shorn head” (perhaps based on the Greek stem kors- “shave”) + -ello diminutive suffix
Explanation
A carousel is a circular, rotating amusement ride with seats for children. Do you like roller coasters or is the carousel more your speed? If you’re at a carnival, a carousel probably has fake horses. But if you’re at an airport, the carousel is a conveyor belt that carries luggage (no horses). Carousel was originally the name of an event at tournaments of 16th century knights. In the carousel, knights would charge, full speed on ornately decorated horses, trying to put the tip of their lance through a golden ring. This carousel was inspired by Middle Eastern games witnessed by knights in the Crusades.
Vocabulary lists containing carousel
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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:
The climactic struggle on the carousel did not appear in Highsmith’s novel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Maldonado’s jerseys are sourced from Santee Alley and are modified with paint using a rotating screen printing carousel with personalized screens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
The carousel of leaders has taken its toll, driving up borrowing costs and dragging down investment.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
"Yesterday was three months since we lost @vanderjames," she said, while also sharing a carousel of family photographs.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
My brain feels like a carousel, spinning around and around and bobbing up and down, and the longer it spins, the harder it becomes to sleep.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
“I park in a big parking structure at Carousel mall and I hear this flute. Come to find out he would go there weekly because of the acoustics in the area.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
The sweets will be given to people as they leave Home and Carousel after the city centre venue was given permission to stay open later.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2025
The Central Park carousel, officially known as the Michael Friedsam Memorial Carousel, was also operated by the Trump Organization; the name “Trump Carousel” also disappeared from that attraction in 2019.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2024
A former high school teacher, Mr. Holzman was the head carver and fund-raiser of the Empire State Carousel, a whimsical and educational reminder of state fairs and carnivals past.
From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2023
At first everything is normal, but then this old TV character, Carousel Carl, pops up at the control panel.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
His videos are bite-sized and have the professional look of being made in a podcast studio, and the other posts have simple graphics and text broken up for easily digestible carousels.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
Facebook pings me with “memories”: photo carousels of my adult daughter and me on a beach or posing for goofy selfies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
If you want to see her character’s influence, take a scroll through some Instagram carousels while hungover on November 1.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2025
But all were certain of her love for carousels, and say that’s why the building took its unusual form.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025
Our four big suitcases stand alone between two luggage carousels like orphaned children.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
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.
