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 first photo in the carousel showed the happy couple grinning from ear-to-ear as Owens signed his contract, while other snaps documented their tour of the facility, including an impressive indoor training area.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

It showed a half-dozen upright missiles moving along the tracked carousel in a cavernous tunnel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

The British capital will once again host its Autumn/Winter fashion week from Thursday to Monday, after New York's bonanza and before the catwalk carousel moves to Milan and Paris.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

That’s just to remind you of Pittsburgh’s decadelong carousel under center.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

I tucked it behind my ear, blinked, and slowly swiveled, the carousel music creating a perfectly surreal, magical backdrop.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• roundabout
• whirligig