Conestoga wagon

American  

[kon-uh-stoh-guh, kon-] / ˈkɒn əˈstoʊ gə, ˌkɒn- /

noun

1. a large, heavy, broad-wheeled covered wagon, used especially for transporting pioneers and freight across North America during the early westward migration.

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Conestoga wagon British  

/ ˌkɒnɪˈstəʊɡə /

noun

1. a large heavy horse-drawn covered wagon used in the 19th century

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Etymology

Origin of Conestoga wagon

First recorded in 1690–1700; named after Conestoga, Pa., where it was first made

Compare meaning

How does conestoga-wagon compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• prairie schooner vs. Conestoga wagon

Example Sentences

The inauguration involves thousands of people, marching bands, horses, bomb-sniffing dogs and a Conestoga wagon, among other things.

From Washington Post • Jan. 18, 2017

Her father was a sign painter; her maternal grandparents had come west to Utah in a Conestoga wagon after the Civil War.

From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2013

Sirs: The "prairie schooner" was usually referred to as the "Conestoga" wagon.

From Time Magazine Archive

I grew a little bored with that because there was a man, who is now a rather popular director . . . and he was always the child in the Conestoga wagon.

From Time Magazine Archive

We might as well have been traveling in a Conestoga wagon.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls