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

The first recorded report of that “steaming mountain” was made in 1835 by a man traveling north by stagecoach to Lompoc, according to the Carpinteria Valley Museum of History.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

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

After it opened in 1879 in an old Army barracks, thousands of Native American children were sent by train and stagecoach to Carlisle.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 1, 2024

When ‌a band of outlaws overtakes the stagecoach, Brett Gelman, as a whisky peddler, recognizes one and observes, in a ridiculous faux-British accent, “You’re Tommy Walsh.”

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2023

Newcomers keep arriving—by ship, canal boat, and stagecoach.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman