stagecoach
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of stagecoach
Explanation
Before trains were invented, you might have taken a stagecoach to your Grandma's house. A stagecoach was a covered carriage pulled by horses. Once a system of reliable roads was established during the 17th and 18th centuries, travel by stagecoach became common. As roads improved over time, the length of stagecoach journeys became shorter. Still, in 1766 it took two full days to travel by stagecoach from New York to Philadelphia. The invention of railroads in the mid-1800s also meant the end of the stagecoach.
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:
Consider Joseph Morgan III. Born in 1780 into a Welsh immigrant family that became successful Massachusetts farmers, he sold the farm and invested in a Hartford, Conn., coffeehouse and stagecoach line.
From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026
With a tremendous clatter, the makeshift stagecoach got the speed wobbles like a wonky grocery cart and flipped over on a turn, ejecting its rowdy riders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2025
Bell parked his truck at the end of a long dirt road, near an old stagecoach stop.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023
Eventually, one yeasty starter from the new brew was taken by stagecoach to Copenhagen, Denmark.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 26, 2023
They saw his horses and buffalo and an authentic stagecoach.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Mr. Crytzer’s narrative hums along with the National Road’s traffic as he colorfully describes Pony Express riders, stagecoaches, Conestoga wagons and many thousands of migrants wending ever westward, feeding the nation’s economic and territorial growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Banners with photos of veterans and dead soldiers peer over sidewalks and legend has it that Jesse James lived here in an age of stagecoaches and outlaws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2024
He’s also known for working at the Mescal film set and pulling stagecoaches at Old Tucson.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 15, 2023
The Booth’s art collection is vast, with about a dozen galleries showcasing paintings, photographs, sculptures and artifacts that include two full-size stagecoaches.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 14, 2022
He has worked hard all his life, on the family farm, on the railroad, in the livery stable, and on the Chilean stagecoaches.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
