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• carousel
  carousel

  noun

  merry-go-round.
• Carousel
  Carousel

  a circular tray in which photographic transparencies are held on a projector and from which they are lowered through slots for projection as the tray is rotated.

carousel

¹ American  

[kar-uh-sel, kar-uh-sel] / ˌkær əˈsɛl, ˈkær əˌsɛl /

Sometimes carrousel

noun

1. merry-go-round.

2. a continuously revolving belt, track or other device on which items are placed for later retrieval.

   a baggage carousel at an airport.

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Carousel ² American  

[kar-uh-sel, kar-uh-sel] / ˌkær əˈsɛl, ˈkær əˌsɛl /

Trademark.

1. a circular tray in which photographic transparencies are held on a projector and from which they are lowered through slots for projection as the tray is rotated.

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carousel British  

/ ˌkærəˈsɛl, -ˈzɛl /

noun

1. a circular magazine in which slides for a projector are held: it moves round as each slide is shown

2. a rotating conveyor belt for luggage, as at an airport

3. 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

4. history a tournament in which horsemen took part in races and various manoeuvres in formation

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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.

Example Sentences

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

Four larger cylinders sat on a rotating carousel, while four smaller masses were suspended inside on a copper-beryllium ribbon about as thick as a human hair.

From Science Daily • May 18, 2026

"Yesterday was three months since we lost @vanderjames," she said, while also sharing a carousel of family photographs.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

By the time I made it to the carousel and looked around, you weren't there.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• roundabout
• whirligig