streetcar

American  

[street-kahr] / ˈstritˌkɑr /

noun

• streetcars
  plural

1. a public vehicle running regularly along certain streets, usually on rails, as a trolley car or trolley bus.

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streetcar British  

/ ˈstriːtˌkɑː /

noun

1. Also called: trolley car.   tram.   tramcar.  an electrically driven public transport vehicle that runs on rails let into the surface of the road, power usually being taken from an overhead wire

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• streetcars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of streetcar

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; street + car ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

streetcar streetcars

Repetitive imagery of freeways, streetcar tracks, even horses seem to torture the main characters for feeling stuck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The city is increasing public transit to the stadium on match days but keeping subway, bus and streetcar prices at normal levels of less than $4 a ride.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

When the next streetcar rolls in, the upper deck fills with a gaggle of schoolgirls, squabbling over who gets the window seat closest to the sea breeze.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

An-My, you chose Robert Frank’s picture of a streetcar in New Orleans, taken that year.

From New York Times ● Jun. 3, 2024

Stopping, he saw that one of the bicycle tires had lodged in the groove of a streetcar track.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

That happened in the 1914 storms, to the bridges criss-crossed by streetcars and railroads, and to the famous pigeon farm that stood at the Y where the Arroyo Seco joined the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Not until the 1890s would technological advances make it practical to operate streetcars with electric motors and buses with gasoline-powered engines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Now, Egyptians young and old have flocked for farewell rides, before the streetcars come to a halt in April.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

Scranton’s nickname, “Electric City,” stems from its being one of the first places in the U.S. to have electric streetcars.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2025

Though preferable to automobiles, streetcars didn’t appeal to Desdemona either.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• trolley