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

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

The commuters in “Le Métro” hark back to his early streetcar scenes but now there’s an air of mystery to the straphangers, with the central figure’s face obscured and bisected by a subway pole.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

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

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2024

The lady reached over to bring down my window too, but she stopped because there was a loud sound, and it wasn’t the clang of the streetcar.

From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli

Related Words

• trolley