covered wagon

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

noun

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

covered wagon

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of covered wagon¹

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.

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On July 14, the DHS X account featured a painting of a young white couple cradling a baby in a covered wagon on the Great Plains with the caption, “Remember your Homeland’s Heritage.”

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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.

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

Read more on 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.

Read more on Seattle Times