trolley

American  

[trol-ee] / ˈtrɒl i /

Sometimes trolly

noun

trolleys plural

1. trolley car.

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

6. a serving cart, as one used to serve desserts.

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

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verb (used with or without object)

trolleyed, trolleying

1. to convey or go by trolley.

idioms

1. off one's trolley,

   1. in a confused mental state.

   2. insane.

      He's been off his trolley for years, but his family refuses to have him committed.

trolley British  

/ ˈtrɒlɪ /

noun

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

2. 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

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

4. See trolleybus

5. See trolley car

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

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

8. a low truck running on rails, used in factories, mines, etc, and on railways

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

10. slang

    1. mentally confused or disorganized

    2. insane

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verb

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

trolley More Idioms  

1. see off one's head (trolley).

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trolleys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trolley

First recorded in 1815–25; originally dialect; apparently akin to troll ¹

Explanation

A trolley is a vehicle that carries many people and is powered by overhead electrical cables. You can also call a trolley a "tram," "cable car," or "streetcar." If you've ridden a streetcar up and down the hills of San Francisco, you know what a trolley is. Trolleys often travel on rails that are built into the street, using electricity that comes from a third rail or overhead lines. Anyone who grew up watching "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on TV will remember the model Neighborhood Trolley that carried viewers into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trolley trolleys trolleyed trolleying

In the southern Athens seaside suburb of Glyfada, a pensioner struggles to cross an avenue with her shopping trolley, zigzagging between cars stuck in traffic.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

Local attractions—in addition to the architecture—include the surrounding vineyards, trolley rides through the city center, ghost tours, and the annual Danish heritage festival.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

When the attacker later fled into a greengrocer's, Asadian barricaded him in with a shopping trolley, helping to give police enough time to arrive.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

Guests will also be able to grab some themed treats from the trolley.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026

Ophie disembarked from the trolley feeling light for the first time in as long as she could remember.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

In 1916, when the 36-inch pipeline was dropped into the ground along Sunset Boulevard, cars were just beginning to compete with trolleys and horse-drawn wagons in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

"Our teams will be on hand at stations to support customers and help them complete their journeys, without their bins or trolleys, as smoothly as possible."

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

In the early 20th century, Woods continued to innovate, developing overhead conducting systems that allowed electric streetcars and trolleys to replace steam power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

Smith told the paper one of the chocolate eggs broke and he picked a piece and "threw it out of frustration" towards some shopping trolleys.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026

Four Brown Bears, each wearing a peaked cap, were trundling trolleys of food along the little corridor that separated the animals from the cages.

From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers

“I’m being trolleyed on Twitter,” Edina whines to Saffron, clearly more concerned about her own reputation than the fate of a supermodel she was hoping to use as a cash cow for her PR business.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 21, 2016

After the final, as German fans trolleyed pints of Happy until the small hours, residents of Brussels complained to one policeman about the noise.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 5, 2016

Traditionally, he saws a woman in half, and the boxed halves are trolleyed on-and offstage during a good part of the evening.

From Time Magazine Archive

On the way back from Ossining, they trolleyed to Dobbs’ Ferry and visited the old Washington Headquarters there.

From The Woodcraft Girls in the City by Roy, Lillian Elizabeth

James and Margaret had trolleyed over to see Roger and Helen from Glen Point, about three quarters of an hour's ride from Rosemont where the Mortons lived.

From Ethel Morton and the Christmas Ship by Smith, Mabell S. C. (Mabell Shippie Clarke)

As for the metallic pepperpot-shaped aliens, created by designer Raymond Cusick, Ms Webb remembers rehearsals with actors "trolleying" around on castors in just the bottom halves of the characters that would become The Doctor's nemesis.

From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2023

She has become a familiar trope in film and television, trolleying around with fag ash, drink spilling, hem riding up, and is almost always white.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 12, 2020

Don was for trolleying over to the shore, having a dip in the ocean and returning to school in good time.

From Left Guard Gilbert by Caswell, Edward C.

I'm just trolleying out to father's to see what an evening session will do.

From A Reversible Santa Claus by Nicholson, Meredith

Greenfield, where the party spent the night, they found to be a pleasant old town with the wide, tree-bordered streets to which they were growing accustomed in this trolleying pilgrimage.

From Ethel Morton at Rose House by Smith, Mabell S. C. (Mabell Shippie Clarke)

Related Words

• disk
• drum
• roller