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:
And the Cinderella metaphor comes in because Cinderella created a pumpkin into a chariot that became a fantasy world, and she lived it like I was living in the race car world at that time.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Some fought with only a trident; some fought mounted on horseback; some on chariot; others on foot with helmet and short sword; some with two daggers; still others exclusively fought wild beasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 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
I couldn't help it...when the chariot rolled out of the dust cloud, I had to look up.
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
Iron Age experts now have evidence that people 2,000 years ago had four wheel wagons as well as two wheel chariots.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2025
The educational modules—focused on Chandrayaan-3, the Indian space mission that in September landed a probe on the Moon—mention vimānas, which are flying palaces or chariots described in Sanskrit epics.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 8, 2023
The twisting streets were full of demigods and nature spirits and minor godlings bustling about, riding chariots or sedan chairs carried by Cyclopes.
From "The Titan's Curse" 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.
