carpet
Americannoun
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carpets
plural
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a heavy fabric, commonly of wool or nylon, for covering floors.
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a covering of this material.
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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.
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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
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to cover or furnish with or as with a carpet.
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Chiefly British. to reprimand.
idioms
noun
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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
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has carpetedperfect
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am carpetingprogressive
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are carpetingprogressive
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is carpetingprogressive
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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:
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
Taylor Swift, Charli XCX and Lisa were among some of the celebrities to walk a blue version of the traditional red carpet, ahead of the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 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
If you have a sloped yard that struggles with runoff, consider planting ground cover, such as buckwheat and coyote brush, which act as a protective carpet over the soil and slow the flow of water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Her feet anxiously traced little dance steps on the carpet, as if they could not help themselves.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
Known as maerl beds, these carpets of coral-like seaweed create some of the richest habitats in the sea.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
No tulips turned fields into carpets of color: the bulbs had all been eaten.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The couples made their way onto the carpeted floor as Moon sprinkled Holy water onto them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
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
Depending on where you are reading this, your doormat may have been carpeted with colourful leaflets for weeks and your TV and social media feeds chocca with political promises.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
She listened for Kainene’s footsteps on the carpeted hallway.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My wife absolutely loves the full shag carpeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 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
Movie theaters with patterned carpeting have been deemed liminal, as have fast-food restaurants, parking garages and malls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Some examples of normal wear and tear include faded paint, worn carpeting and small holes from nails used to hang art.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
The carpeting was institutional, with a hectic, stain- camouflaging pattern.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
