carriage
Americannoun
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a wheeled vehicle for conveying persons, as one drawn by horses and designed for comfort and elegance.
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British. a railway passenger coach.
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a wheeled support, as for a cannon.
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a movable part, as of a machine, designed for carrying something.
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manner of carrying the head and body; bearing.
the carriage of a soldier.
- Synonyms:
- air, demeanor, comportment, mien
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Also called carriage piece,. Also called horse. an inclined beam, as a string, supporting the steps of a stair.
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the act of transporting; conveyance.
the expenses of carriage.
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the price or cost of transportation.
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(in a typewriter) the moving part carrying the platen and its associated parts, usually set in motion to carry the paper across the point where the print element or type bars strike.
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management; administration.
noun
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a railway coach for passengers
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the manner in which a person holds and moves his head and body; bearing
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a four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for persons
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the moving part of a machine that bears another part
a typewriter carriage
a lathe carriage
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the act of conveying; carrying
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the charge made for conveying (esp in the phrases carriage forward, when the charge is to be paid by the receiver, and carriage paid )
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of carriage
1150–1200; Middle English cariage < Anglo-French, Old North French, equivalent to cari ( er ) to carry + -age -age
Explanation
A carriage is a vehicle with wheels that's usually pulled by horses. In some cities, you can go for a carriage ride through the park. A carriage generally has four wheels and is pulled by two or more horses, while the smaller cart tends to have two wheels and be pulled by a single horse. In Britain, you might hear people refer to the separate compartments of a train as carriages as well, and in some parts of the US it's used to mean "baby stroller" or "grocery cart." The Latin root is carrum, "two-wheeled war chariot."
Vocabulary lists containing carriage
Greetings, World Traveler! — List 3
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Strike A Pose: Positions and Posture
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The Sound and the Fury
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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.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” one advocacy group said in a statement, calling for permanent action to end carriage operations in the park.
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026
The crash happened on the Strathspey Railway, a heritage railway run separately from mass-transit public services, and involved a stationary carriage and another train in the station.
From Barron's • Jun. 20, 2026
The Conservancy doubled-down on its long-standing position to ban all horse-drawn carriage rides in the park.
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026
The carriage doors had jammed and would not open, she added.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
The servants streamed out from the house like ants to remove Lady Constance’s many floral-upholstered trunks from the carriage.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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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.