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• sedan
  sedan

  noun

  an enclosed automobile body having two or four doors and seating four or more persons on two full-width seats.
• Sedan
  Sedan

  noun

  a city in NE France, on the Meuse River: defeat and capture of Napoleon III 1870.

sedan

¹ American  

[si-dan] / sɪˈdæn /

noun

sedans plural

1. an enclosed automobile body having two or four doors and seating four or more persons on two full-width seats.

2. sedan chair.

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Sedan ² American  

[si-dan, suh-dahn] / sɪˈdæn, səˈdɑ̃ /

noun

1. a city in NE France, on the Meuse River: defeat and capture of Napoleon III 1870.

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sedan ¹ British  

/ sɪˈdæn /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): saloon.  a closed two-door or four-door car with four to six seats

2. short for sedan chair

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Sedan ² British  

/ sədɑ̃, sɪˈdæn /

noun

1. a town in NE France, on the River Meuse: passed to France in 1642; a Protestant stronghold (16th–17th centuries); scene of a French defeat (1870) during the Franco-Prussian War and of a battle (1940) in World War II, which began the German invasion of France. Pop: 20 548 (1999)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sedans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sedan

First recorded in 1625–35; of obscure origin

Explanation

A sedan is a car that seats at least four people. You might dream of getting a sports car when you're 16, but it's more likely that your parents will loan you the keys to their sedan. In the 17th century, a sedan was "a covered chair on poles," a fancy way for one person to ride, carried by at least four people. Today's sedan seats four, and it's powered by gasoline or electricity. Since about 1912, the word sedan has been used most often for talking about an automobile. The word is rooted in the Latin sedere, "sit."

Example Sentences

A video from OnScene.TV showed officers standing around a black Cadillac sedan with its front passenger headlight and fender destroyed.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2026

As part of the cuts, Lucid said that it had eliminated the second production shift at its main manufacturing facility, in Arizona, where it makes the Lucid Air sedan and Lucid Gravity SUV.

From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026

Those statements echoed the testimony of a farmer who had claimed years earlier that on an evening in April 2004, he had encountered a man driving a sedan with German licence plates.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Toyota, having already eliminated gas-only versions of its Sienna minivan and Camry sedan, is selling its RAV4 compact SUV exclusively as a hybrid for the 2026 model year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

On July 8 Cooksey’s new “can” was maneuvered into the lab by block and tackle anchored by his treasured new Packard, a yellow sedan he dubbed the “Creamliner.”

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• auto
• automobile
• bus
• convertible
• jeep
• limousine
• machine
• motor
• pickup
• ride
• station wagon
• truck
• van
• wagon