chariot
Americannoun
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a light, two-wheeled vehicle for one person, usually drawn by two horses and driven from a standing position, used in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, etc., in warfare, racing, hunting, etc.
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a light, four-wheeled pleasure carriage.
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any stately carriage.
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Facetious. an automobile.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle used in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, etc, in war, races, and processions
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a light four-wheeled horse-drawn ceremonial carriage
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poetic any stately vehicle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chariot
1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French, Old French, equivalent to char car 1 + -iot diminutive suffix
Explanation
A chariot is a small carriage pulled by horses. In the ancient world, chariots were usually the fastest way to travel, and also a convenient method for transporting armies and archery platforms. In ancient Rome, chariots were used in races and processions, while the Hittites used them for waging battles. Ancient Greece and Rome both had famous tales of warring charioteers, but both societies mainly used chariots for racing and parading. One Greek myth describes the sun god Helios's son, Phaethon, inexpertly driving the horse-drawn sun chariot for a day and nearly setting the Earth on fire.
Vocabulary lists containing chariot
"To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell
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Ancient Rome - Introductory
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Ancient Rome - Middle School and High School
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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:
The chariot race scene is one of the most iconic in cinematic history, and took over a year to plan and film.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
These included a 2020 rally for US President Donald Trump and a 2023 spectacle in which Modi circled the ground in a golden chariot alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025
Soon enough, the famed chariot was terrorizing American suburbs, thrashing roads and smashing the carbon budget with its iconic, super-high front end, a most patriotic consumer symbol.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2025
There’s also a Moog synthesizer and electric guitar prominently featured in the score, and ’70s split-screen and modern POVs for the opening chariot race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2024
My guts dropped to my ankles as the chariot shot skyward.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
The site’s 2nd-century hippodrome for racing chariots was also damaged by nearby blasts, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
In a vast, dimly lit main hall spanning four levels, visitors gazed at chariots, household items, jewelled ornaments and, at the centre, Tutankhamun's iconic golden mask.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025
Thrace’s tribes were wealthy and sophisticated, cited in “The Iliad” as allies of the Trojans who arrived in gilded chariots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2025
The trade was originally established to look after chariots, carts and gun carriages, but now the main focus is on veteran cars.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024
Parked next to it was a red-and-gold chariot with an open carriage and a single axle, like the chariots Frank had raced at Camp Jupiter.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
