trolley car

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noun

a streetcar propelled electrically by current taken by means of a trolley from a conducting wire strung overhead or running beneath a slot between the tracks.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of trolley car

First recorded in 1885–90

Words nearby trolley car

Trojan War, troke, troll, trolley, trolley bus, trolley car, trolley dolly, trolleyed, trolley line, trolleys, trollius

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use trolley car in a sentence

They both got on top of a table and made believe he was the conductor of a trolley car and she was a passenger.
My Wonderful Visit|Charlie Chaplin
Well, I'll just bet you a million billion dollars He can't make a trolley car go in two directions at the same time.
The Boy Grew Older|Heywood Broun
Also, a trolley car ran on to him, rolling him over and over again until he came out as dizzy as a drunken man.
Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail|Ezra Meeker
So I sneaked down to the trolley-car station, took the car for Pineville, and went to see one of the best physicians in town.
Sixes and Sevens|O. Henry

Ditmar stood staring after the trolley car that bore Janet away until it became a tiny speck of light in the distance.
The Dwelling Place of Light, Complete|Winston Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for trolley car

trolley car

noun

US and Canadian another word for streetcar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012