taxi
noun
a taxicab.
taxi
1 American
[tak-see]
/ ˈtæk si /
noun
taxis,
plural
taxies
plural
verb (used without object)
taxies,
present (3rd person singular)
taxied,
past participle, past
taxiing,
present participle
taxying
present participle
-
to ride or travel in a taxicab.
-
(of an airplane) to move over the surface of the ground or water under its own power.
verb (used with object)
taxies,
present (3rd person singular)
taxied,
past participle, past
taxiing,
present participle
taxying
present participle
taxi-
2
American
taxi
British
/ ˈtæksɪ /
noun
verb
-
to cause (an aircraft) to move along the ground under its own power, esp before takeoff and after landing, or (of an aircraft) to move along the ground in this way
-
(intr) to travel in a taxi
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
taxisimple
-
taxiessimple
-
have taxiedperfect
-
has taxiedperfect
-
am taxiingprogressive
-
am taxyingprogressive
-
are taxiingprogressive
-
are taxyingprogressive
-
is taxiingprogressive
-
is taxyingprogressive
-
have been taxiingperfect progressive
-
have been taxyingperfect progressive
-
has been taxiingperfect progressive
-
has been taxyingperfect progressive
Past
-
taxiedsimple
-
had taxiedperfect
-
was taxiingprogressive
-
was taxyingprogressive
-
were taxiingprogressive
-
were taxyingprogressive
-
had been taxiingperfect progressive
-
had been taxyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of taxi
1905–10, short for taxicab
Explanation
Running late? Call a taxi. A taxi is a car you hire to drive you somewhere. In some big cities, all you have to do is raise your hand and yell "taxi!" and a taxi will pull up next to you. You can also refer to a taxi as a cab or a taxicab. Most taxis are cars, although boats for hire are sometimes also called taxis. As a verb, taxi describes what airplanes do when they move very slowly on a runway. Officially, taxi is short for taximeter cab, as they were originally named at the turn of the 20th century. Today the taximeter, which records distance and fare, is usually just called a meter.
Vocabulary lists containing taxi
Flying High: Aviation Words
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 1
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Unit 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead of spending the money on a pricey establishing shot of the car driving on the 101, Wain inserts a brief vintage clip of a ’70s-era taxi, humming along the road.
From Salon • Jul. 12, 2026
Sharing an electric taxi back towards the city, a 45-minute drive from the edge of the sprawling port.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
His separate operator's licence allows his vehicle to be used as a taxi business.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
Activists said that he was employed as a taxi driver in New York.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
After the train, Gordievsky switched to a taxi, and then—for the final leg of his solo journey—to a bus.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
