cavalcade

American  

[kav-uhl-keyd, kav-uhl-keyd] / ˌkæv əlˈkeɪd, ˈkæv əlˌkeɪd /

noun

• cavalcades
  plural

1. a procession of persons riding on horses, in horsedrawn carriages, in cars, etc.

2. any procession.

   Synonyms:

   retinue, parade

3. any noteworthy series, as of events or activities.

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cavalcade British  

/ ˌkævəlˈkeɪd /

noun

1. a procession of people on horseback, in cars, etc

2. any procession

   a cavalcade of guests

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cavalcades
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cavalcade

1585–95; < Middle French < early Italian cavalcata horseback raid, equivalent to cavalc ( are ) to ride on horseback (< Late Latin caballicāre, equivalent to caball ( us ) horse ( see cavalier) + -icā- v. suffix + -re infinitive ending) + -ata -ade ¹

Explanation

If you are traveling with a procession of people on horseback, you are part of a cavalcade. The word cavalcade comes from the Latin word for horse, caballus. The word cavalry, which means soldiers on horseback, comes from the same Latin root. So strictly speaking, a cavalcade is group of people on horseback or in horse-drawn carriages, moving together in some kind of ceremony or parade. But cavalcades can include vehicles or people walking, like the motorcycle cavalcades that sometimes accompany a funeral procession.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cavalcade cavalcades

Despite that, social media feeds have been filled with the usual cavalcade of Eurovision photos, jokes and interviews as the contest approaches.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

I tried leaning on it, hand on hip, and felt myself transformed from a geriatric sourpuss into a bemused observer of the human cavalcade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

Before rushing into action, or joining the cavalcade fretting about a market bubble, remember Thanksgiving.

From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025

A cavalcade of guest stars have appeared on the show and several left the cast and producers — who are stars in their own right — in awe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2025

Fortunately for Sir Palomides and Sir Grummore, the Questing Beast saw reason at the last moment, before the cavalcade set out—otherwise they would have had to stay in Orkney and miss the marriage altogether.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Dozens of floats decorated with bright garden-fresh flowers, marching bands and cavalcades of equestrians will proceed along the 5½-mile route through Pasadena.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2022

By the halfway point, it had blown my mind twice and accumulated such cavalcades of incident that I couldn’t fathom where it had left to go — but it found places, and it went there.

From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2022

The devolution of SNL cold opens from laser-focused comedic premises like “Chevy Chase falls down” to loosely structured cavalcades of celebrity guest appearances continues apace.

From Slate ● Mar. 1, 2020

Crisp passing, alley-oop dunks, cavalcades of 3-pointers - what’s not to like?

From Washington Times ● Mar. 31, 2018

The squares, so lately crowded with equipages and cavalcades of horsemen, were silent and deserted; the closed shutters of every house, and the grass-grown steps, vouched for the absence of the owners.

From Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume I by Charles James Lever