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 carousel on the post featured various images of the two, who first crossed paths at the Grand Ole Opry’s Opry100 celebration in 1977.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
The climactic struggle on the carousel did not appear in Highsmith’s novel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The carousel of leaders has taken its toll, driving up borrowing costs and dragging down investment.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
There’s also been a carousel of leadership changes before Frank Bisignano, commissioner of the Social Security Administration, was tapped as CEO for the IRS.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
The little creature appears late one afternoon on an old carousel in the village of Perchance.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
Carousel is a bar featuring arcade games, while Home serves as a nightclub, though both are run together by the same operator.
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
It’s a joy to experience the nighttime glow of Sleeping Beauty Castle and King Arthur’s Carousel from a height, as it adds to the fairy-tale nature of the area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
Each of the old men climbed out onto the ledge, and then, with a step and a hop, they walked out onto the circling Carousel platform.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
But since Aug. 9, when they began harnessing the power of Ryonex, every single one of their meme carousels has racked up tens of thousands of likes.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 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
She took to the stage dressed as a stewardess, dancing across luggage carousels and navigating male dancers dressed as baggage handlers.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 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
I slowed myself as I passed the security guards by the luggage carousels, only to break into a run again as the exit doors came into view.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
