cart

American  

[kahrt] / kɑrt /

noun

1. a heavy two-wheeled vehicle, commonly without springs, drawn by mules, oxen, or the like, used for the conveyance of heavy goods.

2. a light two-wheeled vehicle with springs, drawn by a horse or pony.

3. any small vehicle pushed or pulled by hand.

4. Obsolete. a chariot.

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verb (used with object)

1. to haul or convey in or as if in a cart or truck.

   to cart garbage to the dump.

verb (used without object)

1. to drive a cart.

verb phrase

1. cart off / away to transport or take away in an unceremonious manner.

   The police came and carted him off to jail.

idioms

1. put the cart before the horse, to do or place things in improper order; be illogical.

2. on the water cart, wagon.

cart ¹ British  

/ kɑːt /

noun

1. a heavy open vehicle, usually having two wheels and drawn by horses, used in farming and to transport goods

2. a light open horse-drawn vehicle having two wheels and springs, for business or pleasure

3. any small vehicle drawn or pushed by hand, such as a trolley

4. to reverse the usual or natural order of things

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verb

1. (usually tr) to use or draw a cart to convey (goods, etc)

   to cart groceries

2. (tr) to carry with effort; haul

   to cart wood home

CART ² British  

abbreviation

1. Championship Auto Racing Teams

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cart ³ British  

/ kɑːt /

noun

1. radio television short for cartridge

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cart More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cart

• upset the applecart

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Other Word Forms

• cartable adjective
• carter noun
• uncarted adjective

Etymology

Origin of cart

before 900; Middle English cart ( e ), Old English cræt (by metathesis); cognate with Old Norse kartr cart

Explanation

A cart is a vehicle with wheels that's pulled by an animal, a person, or by another vehicle. You could attach a cart to your dog and teach him to pull it around. The typical cart is hooked up to a draft horse or another farm animal. Other kinds of carts include hand carts, which can be stacked with heavy items and easily pushed or pulled by people; and golf carts, which are open vehicles that are powered by electricity or gasoline. When you cart something around, you lug it or transport it. The word cart comes from a Scandinavian source, probably the Old Norse kartr.

Example Sentences

I would have to pay someone—pay someone!—to cart my stuff to the town dump, an insult-on-top-of-injury that I just couldn’t abide.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

In one greenhouse, two women lifted tulip plants out of the ground and used a hand-drawn rolling cart to transport them to a refrigerated shed to await sale.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

Wrapped in a thermal blanket and sitting on an electric cart he emerged from the mine on Wednesday and was taken by helicopter to hospital, where he was able to reunite with his family.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Lopez, a regular at Ross Dress for Less, put a pack of clothing hangers in her cart along with her new purse before checking out.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

He stepped outside and saw a man pushing an ice cream cart down the sidewalk.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• rickshaw
• truck
• wagon