stagecoach

American  

[steyj-kohch] / ˈsteɪdʒˌkoʊtʃ /

noun

• stagecoaches
  plural

1. a horse-drawn coach that formerly traveled regularly over a fixed route with passengers, parcels, etc.

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stagecoach British  

/ ˈsteɪdʒˌkəʊtʃ /

noun

1. a large four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle formerly used to carry passengers, mail, etc, on a regular route between towns and cities

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stagecoaches
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stagecoach

First recorded in 1630–40; stage + coach

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

See Examples For:

stagecoach stagecoaches

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

“We had almost an hour wait for lunch,” said Bianca Anderson, the assistant manager, adding that crowds that normally spill out on the former stagecoach stop instead packed into the bar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2024

When Colorado-bound Mo is relegated to the back of a stagecoach, one anticipates “Surrounded,” directed by Anthony Mandler, might play as a rollicking, racially enlightened genre variant.

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2023

Bell parked his truck at the end of a long dirt road, near an old stagecoach stop.

From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023

A Concord stagecoach is a monster on huge wooden wheels.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

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

Much of the roadway originally was designed for stagecoaches, said Kristen Brengel, senior vice-president of public affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 18, 2022

They included stagecoaches, wagons, private coaches, broughams, cabriolets, phaetons, buggies, and surreys.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly