noun
-
a procession of people on horseback, in cars, etc
-
any procession
a cavalcade of guests
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing cavalcade
The Hobbit
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 9
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The 57 Bus
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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:
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
Sir Sadiq Khan will be leading the cavalcade in his role as mayor of London.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2025
In the daytime, Disneyland will provide a character cavalcade rather than one of its full parade productions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2024
Then came the cavalcade: mounted policemen and a large open motorcar in which was seated a genial, kindly-looking man with a wreath of roses around his neck.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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 weather was bitter and the hills were covered with snow, but this made no difference in cavalcades, processions, and the rest of the outdoor demonstrations.
From The Life of William Ewart Gladstone (Vol 2 of 3) by John Morley
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
