carpet
Americannoun
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carpets
plural
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a heavy fabric, commonly of wool or nylon, for covering floors.
-
a covering of this material.
-
any relatively soft surface or covering like a carpet.
They walked on the carpet of grass.
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any of a number of airborne electronic devices for jamming radar.
-
a system of such devices.
verb (used with object)
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carpets,
present (3rd person singular)
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carpeted,
past participle, past
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carpeting
present participle
-
to cover or furnish with or as with a carpet.
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Chiefly British. to reprimand.
idioms
noun
-
-
a heavy fabric for covering floors
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( as modifier )
a carpet sale
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-
a covering like a carpet
a carpet of leaves
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informal
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before authority to be reproved for misconduct or error
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under consideration
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verb
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to cover with or as if with a carpet
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informal to reprimand
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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recarpetverb (used with object)
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carpetlessadjective
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carpetlikeadjective
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uncarpetedadjective
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well-carpetedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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carpetsimple
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carpetssimple
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have carpetedperfect
-
has carpetedperfect
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am carpetingprogressive
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are carpetingprogressive
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is carpetingprogressive
-
have been carpetingperfect progressive
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has been carpetingperfect progressive
Past
-
carpetedsimple
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had carpetedperfect
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was carpetingprogressive
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were carpetingprogressive
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had been carpetingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of carpet
1300–50; Middle English carpete cloth covering for a table, floor, bed, etc. < Middle French carpite or Medieval Latin carpīta < Italian carpita woolen bedspread < Vulgar Latin *carpīta, past participle of carpīre, for Latin carpere to pluck, card (wool)
Explanation
A carpet is a thick, woven floor covering. Most carpets cover the whole floor in a room, as opposed to a rug, which only covers a small section. Carpets are made from polyester fibers, or wool, or nylon — most often, these soft materials are loops or strings that form the carpet's "pile," and are attached to a solid backing. A carpet can be very densely woven and flat, or it can be tufted and thick. To carpet means to cover something as if with a carpet: "Then the snow carpets the ground, and winter is here."
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:
Hanks, who is white and was born in Los Angeles, resurfaced to public consciousness in 2020 when he — unprompted — introduced himself at the Golden Globes red carpet with his impression of Jamaican Patois.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
After procuring my press ticket, I waited for the yellow carpet, where I was asked multiple times if I was “part of the influencers group.”
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
The V.I.P. guests walked a red carpet on the North Portico steps from the White House before heading into the black tie event.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The interiors include an open-concept living area with a fireplace, along with a combination of carpet and wood-toned flooring.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
A few seconds later, she found the stairs herself, and she crawled up after the little dog and collapsed onto the carpet of the second floor.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Her work appears mostly on red carpets, onstage and in museum collections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Her influence is why she and her husband are invited to red carpets and field sponsorship offers.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
She was named to Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in sports in 2026 and has been a ubiquitous presence on red carpets, major sporting events and galas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The government has also introduced "geographical indication" tags that help distinguish genuine Kashmiri carpets from cheap imitations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
They were delighted with the renovation and decorations of their rooms; with the new drapery, and fresh carpets, and rich tinted china vases: they expressed their gratification ungrudgingly.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Swaths of the region are carpeted in grasses that each year grow and then die, creating what Acuña described as a patchwork of layers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
That the world is made of green fields carpeted with sweet grass, where nothing bad ever happens.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
Trump shared photos of the suspected shooter, shirtless and in handcuffs facedown on a carpeted floor, in what appears to be the Hilton lobby.
From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026
Epstein’s carpeted office and library was in an oceanfront building that was a short walk from his principal bedroom and pool area.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025
As we crept along a path carpeted with oily black leaves, I stared at the trees covered in fungi, and the withered grass and bushes that had turned to mulch.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
The seats themselves are crappy and hard; the upholstery might as well be outdoor carpeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Luckily, she found both at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach, which her team covered in red carpeting to stay faithful to the Sherman Oaks mall’s original design.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Additional updates throughout the home include refinished hardwood floors, fresh interior paint, new carpeting, and a remodeled guest bathroom,” the description noted.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
As a child in the late 1970s and early ’80s, I fondly recall grand movie houses with chandeliers, carpeting and upholstered seats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
But it actually looked okay: no curtains or carpeting, but normal stuff, a normal room with a friend sitting on the bed, which had just one pillow.
From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead
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.
