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.
See Examples For:
New York City officials have suspended Central Park horse-drawn carriage operations after an 18-year-old tourist was killed in a runaway carriage incident that has reignited a long-running debate over whether the attraction should be banned.
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 horse then bolted, before clipping another carriage and toppling over, footage showed.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
“Mrs. Warne, you must be careful as you venture back to the conspirators. I want a full report of the day as it unfolds. Call for a carriage at the ticket window.”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Animal welfare advocates and some city lawmakers, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have repeatedly called for a ban on horse-drawn carriages, arguing that the practice is unsafe for both animals and riders in modern urban conditions.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
The Red Car line that used to service the area crawls through traffic that includes a Model T and horse-drawn carriages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he supports removing the carriages from the park.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
“But just like in the fairy tale,” Mahmood said, “We can now see that those carriages can turn into pumpkins at the drop of a hat.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
He looked over his shoulder, but there were only joggers and horse-drawn carriages around.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
