limousine
Americannoun
-
any large, luxurious automobile, especially one driven by a chauffeur.
-
a large sedan or small bus, especially one for transporting passengers to and from an airport, between train stations, etc.
-
a former type of automobile having a permanently enclosed compartment for from three to five persons, with a roof projecting forward over the driver's seat in front.
noun
-
any large and luxurious car, esp one that has a glass division between the driver and passengers
-
a former type of car in which the roof covering the rear seats projected over the driver's compartment
Etymology
Origin of limousine
1900–05; < French: kind of motorcar, special use of limousine long cloak, so called because worn by the shepherds of Limousin
Explanation
A limousine is a fancy car that's driven by a special driver. Some high school kids hire limousines to take them and their friends to the prom. Some limousines are unusually long, stretched-out versions of regular sedans, while others are merely large and luxurious. The passengers in a limousine sit in the back, sometimes separated from the driver, or chauffeur, by a partition. Wealthy people might own their limousines, but most people rent them for special occasions like weddings. In the US, the word is also used to mean a more ordinary type of hired car: "I'll just take a limousine to the airport."
Vocabulary lists containing limousine
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.
Manifold added that he had turned down a chauffeur-driven limousine, private jets, and corporate sports tickets.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
The club had three station wagons and a long blue limousine when Bennett began chauffeuring at age 17.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
A convoy of vans, lorries, tractors, and even a limousine, are taking part in a 'go-slow' around the town centre before crossing the border into Lifford, County Donegal.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
The president added his own flourish by welcoming Anwar into his presidential limousine, known as “The Beast,” before speeding together to a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations here.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025
Rather than a prisoner transport bus, Sara left the courthouse in a limousine with two people who claimed to be spies.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
