motorcade
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
Etymology
Origin of motorcade
Explanation
A motorcade is a line of cars traveling together, usually slowly and ceremonially. If the President comes to town, you are bound to see a motorcade. When the President travels to give a speech, part of the trip usually occurs in a motorcade. In the case of a powerful person like a world leader, a motorcade is mainly made up of Secret Service agents providing security. A funeral motorcade is comprised of the cars of mourners, and sometimes a hearse carrying the deceased person's body. Motorcade borrowed -cade from cavalcade, a procession on horseback, turning it into a suffix in the early 1900s.
Vocabulary lists containing motorcade
Portmanteaus: Vocab Mash-Ups
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Before We Were Free
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Red, White & Royal Blue
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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.
Near the White House on Tuesday, some of those who turned out to watch the King's motorcade pass said they felt hopeful.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
A presidential motorcade was spotted outside the Washington Hilton hotel at about 8:45 p.m., though Trump’s location is yet unknown.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
Trump’s motorcade arrived at Mar-a-Lago just after 9 p.m.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
As the Iranian motorcade left, demonstrators shouted "terrorists!" and surged forward throwing objects, with the police swiftly shoving them -- and the reporters behind -- backwards, as some tumbled over in the melee.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
The “Malcolm X Committee” and I were exchanging goodbyes at the Accra airport when a small motorcade of five Ambassadors arrived—to see me off!
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
