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carpool

American  
[kahr-pool] / ˈkɑrˌpul /

noun

  • carpools
    plural
  1. Also carpooling, car pooling. an arrangement among a group of automobile owners by which each owner in turn drives the others or their children to and from a designated place.

  2. those included in such an arrangement.


verb (used without object)

  1. Also car-pool to form or participate in a carpool.

carpool British  
/ ˈkɑːˌpuːl /

verb

  1. another term for carshare

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of carpool

First recorded in 1940–45; car 1 + pool 2


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:

Motherhood used to be filled with transactional relationships—the neighborhood mom you would carpool with but didn’t necessarily invite over to dinner; the mom of your kid’s friend who kept to herself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Most parents lose sleep over the amount of piecemeal work required to cobble together a summer schedule; very few relish the planning and spreadsheets and carpool rota involved in keeping their kids safe and occupied.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

A driver on California's notoriously congested highways put a life-sized dummy in the passenger seat to trick his way into the faster carpool lane, only to get caught for forgetting one detail -- the face.

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

If you’re driving in, carpool and get there early.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

Momma gets in the carpool lane for the lower school.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

That is the popular constitutional contest the whistles, warnings, carpools, legal observers, and barricades made visible.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Anna carpools with him too, and Tom joins Max for a few drinks at a local bar.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

They are the Chinese equivalent of suburban Americans who buy rugged SUVs for their carpools.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025

“Ending it removes a costly perk that slowed carpools without helping the climate,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025

Most are about boring things like carpools and dinners and dance rehearsals.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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