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.
See Examples For:
She has since cut her living expenses—fewer taxi rides, less travel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The child was then taken by taxi to a dirty, rubbish-strewn property in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
If there is still disruption, I may have to get a taxi to Worcester, which will leave me even more out of pocket.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Med Trimdal, a retired electrical engineer in Las Vegas who tried a Zoox taxi in June, said he found the lack of a driver disconcerting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He turned the taxi boat south and cautiously ventured into the slower flow, staying close to the eastern bank.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
That's due in part to the city council's December 4 passage of a legislative framework that essentially allows Uber and other taxi- and sedan-hailing services to operate.
From Inc ● Jan. 14, 2013
A few of the taxi- cabs have come back; but all the auto-buses without exception are away behind the front.
From Over There War Scenes on the Western Front by Arnold Bennett
"The population of Paris has revolted and is hurrying to ask mercy from us!" thought the reconnoitring simpletons in Taubes, when they noted beneath them the incredible processions of taxi- cabs going north.
From Over There War Scenes on the Western Front by Arnold Bennett
It escaped because tens of thousands of soldiers in thousands of taxi- cabs advanced more rapidly than any soldiers could be expected to advance.
From Over There War Scenes on the Western Front by Arnold Bennett
Drivers and passengers of private cars, buses and taxies entering or exiting Changchun must present negative tests for the coronavirus taken within the past 48 hours.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 9, 2022
Did a similar trip a few years ago but took local jitney's, buses, trains, taxies, even a small plane.
From New York Times ● Dec. 13, 2016
Shifting some of the load to third party services such as Uber, Lyft or taxies would help reduce some of the load placed on already-burdened emergency service providers.
From The Verge ● Jul. 17, 2016
In Lagos, there were motorcycle taxies that could zip through the traffic jams.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 16, 2016
All the taxies were hired, all going downtown.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Zoox taxis have logged more than three million driverless miles on public roads and carried nearly one million riders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
She says finding available taxis has become more difficult, even with London Taxicard scheme, a subsidised taxi service for people with mobility impairments or severe sight loss.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Vermont-based Beta Technologies is also competing in the race to deploy air taxis at a commercial scale.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Boeing is also letting go of Wisk Aero, which is developing electric, autonomous air taxis, and SkyGrid, an air-traffic management system for autonomous flights.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Folks cared more about their luggage, taxis, and hugging their own families.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
"The flight safely landed and taxied to the gate," they added.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Planes have to be located, then towed or taxied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
The Boeing 777 landed safely and taxied to the gate under its own power, American said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2024
As Air Force Two taxied for takeoff bound for Germany, Vice President Kamala Harris made her way through the plane handing out heart-shaped Valentine’s Day cookies.
From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2024
And Maddie taxied other people besides me, who in all likelihood were not doing the same work as me.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
As their planes were taxiing, Trump announced that he would nominate Jay Clayton, a U.S. attorney and former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, to the position permanently.
From Slate ● Jun. 13, 2026
The vehicle operator noticed the aircraft taxiing in and left the area with the remaining cargo.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
Analysts are comfortable that Joby’s business is taxiing toward takeoff, but its pricey multiple has tipped Wall Street’s average rating to a Sell.
From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025
One plane was taxiing to its gate after arriving from Charlotte, N.C., when it struck another jet that was taxiing for departure to Roanoke, Va., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025
He would greet visitors, ask them to sign the guest book, and then direct them, like he was an air-traffic controller and they were taxiing airplanes, to the Serenity Suite.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
He had to jump out of the way as the "taxying" airplane bore down on him.
From Uncle Sam's Boys with Pershing's Troops Dick Prescott at Grips with the Boche by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock
And taxying to Teano's, I told him in a few words what a mess I'd made of things.
From Lord John in New York by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson
We were getting near the aerodrome, on which, to my great relief, a machine was "taxying" towards the hangars.
From 'Green Balls' The Adventures of a Night-Bomber by Paul Bewsher
Bob had been taxying about slowly since landing, in order to keep the engine going and the propeller slowly revolving.
From The Radio Boys with the Revenue Guards by Gerald Breckenridge
Out through the open doorway Reade sent the airplane "taxying" or running along the ground.
From Uncle Sam's Boys with Pershing's Troops Dick Prescott at Grips with the Boche by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock
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.
