trolley

or trol·ly

[ trol-ee ]

/ ˈtrɒl i /

noun, plural trol·leys.

a pulley or truck traveling on an overhead track and serving to support and move a suspended object.

a grooved metallic wheel or pulley carried on the end of a pole (trolley pole) by an electric car or locomotive, and held in contact with an overhead conductor, usually a suspended wire (trolley wire), from which it collects the current for the propulsion of the car or locomotive.

any of various devices for collecting current for such a purpose, as a pantograph, or a bowlike structure (bow trolley) sliding along an overhead wire, or a device (underground trolley) for taking current from the underground wire or conductor used by some electric railways.

a small truck or car operated on a track, as in a mine or factory.

a serving cart, as one used to serve desserts.

Chiefly British. any of various low carts or vehicles, as a railway handcar or costermonger's cart.

verb (used with or without object), trol·leyed, trol·ley·ing.

to convey or go by trolley.

Nearby words

trojan war, trojan women, the, troke, troland, troll, trolley, trolley bus, trolley car, trolley dolly, trolley line, trolleybus

Idioms

off one's trolley, Slang.

in a confused mental state.
insane: He's been off his trolley for years, but his family refuses to have him committed.

Origin of trolley

First recorded in 1815–25; orig. dial.; apparently akin to troll¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for trolleyed (1 of 2)

trolleyed

trollied

/ (ˈtrɒlɪd) /

adjective

British slang drunk

British Dictionary definitions for trolleyed (2 of 2)

trolley

/ (ˈtrɒlɪ) /

noun

British a small table on casters used for conveying food, drink, etc

British a wheeled cart or stand pushed by hand and used for moving heavy items, such as shopping in a supermarket or luggage at a railway station

British (in a hospital) a bed mounted on casters and used for moving patients who are unconscious, immobilized, etc

British See trolleybus

US and Canadian See trolley car

a device that collects the current from an overhead wire (trolley wire), third rail, etc, to drive the motor of an electric vehicle

a pulley or truck that travels along an overhead wire in order to support a suspended load

mainly British a low truck running on rails, used in factories, mines, etc, and on railways

a truck, cage, or basket suspended from an overhead track or cable for carrying loads in a mine, quarry, etc

off one's trolley slang

mentally confused or disorganized
insane

verb

(tr) to transport (a person or object) on a trolley

Word Origin for trolley

C19: probably from troll 1

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

Idioms and Phrases with trolleyed

trolley

see off one's head (trolley).

trolley

or trol·ly

noun, plural trol·leys.

verb (used with or without object), trol·leyed, trol·ley·ing.

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of trolley

British Dictionary definitions for trolleyed (1 of 2)

trolleyed

trollied

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for trolleyed (2 of 2)

trolley

noun

verb

Word Origin for trolley

Idioms and Phrases with trolleyed

trolley