covered wagon

American  

noun

1. a large wagon with a high, bonnetlike canvas top, especially such a wagon used by pioneers to transport themselves and their possessions across the North American plains during the westward migrations in the 19th century.

2. British Railroads. a boxcar.

---

covered wagon British  

noun

1. a large wagon with an arched canvas top, used formerly for prairie travel

---

covered wagon Cultural  

1. A typical conveyance for settlers moving west with their belongings. It was drawn by horses or oxen and equipped with a canvas cover, often supported by hoops, to keep off rain.

---

Etymology

Origin of covered wagon

An Americanism dating back to 1735–45

Example Sentences

A week or so before that, “A Prayer for a New Life,” artist Morgan Weistling’s westward-expansion-era scene featuring a white family in a covered wagon making their way across golden plains.

From Los Angeles Times

Srinivasan, who is Indian American, said that although the covered wagon painting is not offensive in and of itself, the timing of the Homeland Security post raises questions about the government’s intended meaning.

From Los Angeles Times

I doubted Dryden would last very long in a covered wagon out on the prairie.

From BBC

The chef’s menu was inspired by the famous Ride to Rendezvous, a five-day Methow Valley horseback and covered wagon excursion by the Washington Outfitters and Guides every spring.

From Seattle Times

“That was such a hard time,” Girma gushes, as if Morgan, the most experienced player on the U.S. women’s World Cup team, rode to games in a covered wagon.

From Los Angeles Times