prairie schooner

American  

noun

1. a type of covered wagon, similar to but smaller than the Conestoga wagon, used by pioneers in crossing the prairies and plains of North America.

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prairie schooner British  

noun

1. a horse-drawn covered wagon similar to but smaller than a Conestoga wagon, used in the 19th century to cross the prairies of North America

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Etymology

Origin of prairie schooner

First recorded in 1835–45

Compare meaning

How does prairie-schooner compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• prairie schooner vs. Conestoga wagon

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prairie schooner

The most common wagon was the prairie schooner.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012

The first man to do things in the lazy Santa Fe style was a Topeka lawyer named Cyrus Holliday, who dreamed of running a railroad into the great Southwest to replace the prairie schooner.

From Time Magazine Archive

Good shot: Mary, her hair disarrayed by the wind, snuggling up to John for a kiss, in the front seat of a prairie schooner.

From Time Magazine Archive

For about $800, a family of four rides a prairie schooner driven by a hired hand, with stops along the trail to investigate the Smoky Hill River or the surrounding hills.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the great automobile factory near Cleveland, Ohio, the old prairie schooner came into vivid contrast with the new means of following the trail.

From Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail by Wilson, F. N. (Frederick N.)