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

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Etymology

Origin of streetcar

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

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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

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

With the advent of the electric streetcar, many trolley companies built parks as destinations for their new modes of transport.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

So is the streetcar, and many of the other vehicles, as well as most of the buildings, signs, facades, lights and pedestrians.

From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2024

It was late and I ran to catch a streetcar.

From "The Stranger" by Albert Camus

The area lost its last rail service in 1952 when the Pacific Electric streetcars stopped running.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

The fair featured electric lighting and electric streetcars powered by hydroelectricity generated by Niagara Falls, reflecting a moment when electricity was beginning to move from novelty toward widespread utility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 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

Vehicles swerved around each other and around the streetcars that ran down the center of the road.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

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Related Words

• trolley

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