carpet

American  

[kahr-pit] / ˈkɑr pɪt /

noun

1. a heavy fabric, commonly of wool or nylon, for covering floors.

2. a covering of this material.

3. any relatively soft surface or covering like a carpet.

   They walked on the carpet of grass.

4. any of a number of airborne electronic devices for jamming radar.

5. a system of such devices.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cover or furnish with or as with a carpet.

2. Chiefly British. to reprimand.

idioms

1. on the carpet,

   1. before an authority or superior for an accounting of one's actions or a reprimand.

      He was called on the carpet again for his carelessness.

   2. Chiefly British. under consideration or discussion.

carpet British  

/ ˈkɑːpɪt /

noun

1. 1. a heavy fabric for covering floors

   2. ( as modifier )

      a carpet sale

2. a covering like a carpet

   a carpet of leaves

3. informal

   1. before authority to be reproved for misconduct or error

   2. under consideration

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verb

1. to cover with or as if with a carpet

2. informal to reprimand

carpet More Idioms  

1. see call on the carpet; red carpet. Also see under rug.

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Other Word Forms

• carpetless
  adjective
• carpetlike
  adjective
• recarpet
  verb (used with object)
• uncarpeted
  adjective
• well-carpeted
  adjective

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

Scarlett Johansson’s performance in the emotional crime drama sparked some of the first major Oscar chatter, though the actress was absent from the red carpet.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

As always, there were some style missteps, and tripping on trains and jostling dress-jams when too many oversized gowns arrived at the same time at the bottom of the famous red carpet steps.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

Stokes and Ballerini began dating in 2023, going red carpet official later that year.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

"People are trying to avoid the thing that's staring them in the face and brushing things under the carpet until eventually it all ignites."

From BBC • May 16, 2026

Beatrice curtsied all the way to the carpet in a froth of flustered skirts.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• carpeting
• rug
• tapestry