vehicle

American  

[vee-i-kuhl, vee-hi-] / ˈvi ɪ kəl, ˈvi hɪ- /

noun

• vehicles
  plural

1. any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport.

   a motor vehicle; space vehicles.

2. a conveyance moving on wheels, runners, tracks, or the like, as a cart, sled, automobile, or tractor.

3. a means of transmission or passage.

   Air is the vehicle of sound.

4. a carrier, as of infection.

5. a medium of communication, expression, or display.

   The novel is a fitting vehicle for his talents. Language is the vehicle of thought.

6. Theater, Movies. a play, screenplay, or the like, having a role suited to the talents of and often written for a specific performer.

7. a means of accomplishing a purpose.

   College is a vehicle for success.

8. Rhetoric. the thing or idea to which the subject of a metaphor is compared, as “rose” in “she is a rose.”

9. Pharmacology. a substance, usually fluid, possessing little or no medicinal action, used as a medium for active remedies.

10. Painting. a liquid, as oil, in which a pigment is mixed before being applied to a surface.

---

vehicle British  

/ ˈviːɪkəl, vɪˈhɪkjʊlə /

noun

1. any conveyance in or by which people or objects are transported, esp one fitted with wheels

2. a medium for the expression, communication, or achievement of ideas, information, power, etc

3. pharmacol a therapeutically inactive substance mixed with the active ingredient to give bulk to a medicine

4. Also called: base.  a painting medium, such as oil, in which pigments are suspended

5. (in the performing arts) a play, musical composition, etc, that enables a particular performer to display his talents

6. a rocket excluding its payload

---

Pronunciation

Because the primary stress in vehicle is on the first syllable, the in the second syllable tends to disappear: . A pronunciation with primary stress on the second syllable and a fully pronounced is usually considered nonstandard: . In the adjective vehicular, where the primary stress is normally on the second syllable, the is always pronounced.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vehicular
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vehicles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vehicle

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin vehiculum, from veh(ere) “to carry, convey, ride” + -i- -i- + -culum -cle ²

Explanation

A vehicle gets you or your stuff where it needs to go. Even though the grocery store is only a few block away, you'll probably want to use a vehicle to get there, so you won't have to carry your groceries all the way home. A vehicle is anything that transports a person or thing, usually a car. But a vehicle can be a truck, a plane, a bus, a blimp or even a shopping cart, anything that transports people or things. Vehicle is also often used in the sense of a medium of expression. For example, if you're an artist, your art is the vehicle for your creative ideas. Some people believe that bread is just a vehicle for mayonnaise.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vehicle vehicles

The couple's car collided with an oncoming truck while overtaking another vehicle on Monday afternoon, said Nicolas Leclainche, the deputy public prosecutor in Niort in the Deux-Sevres department.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

At one point, they stopped at a light and pulled over to switch drivers due to concerns about the other vehicle.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

“Section 232 tariffs are weighing on the auto sector with higher motor vehicle parts and equipment prices spilling over into motor vehicle maintenance and repair, so this isn’t likely a one-off,” wrote economists at RBC.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

“The laugh is a vehicle through which we’re doing this. The intimate connection of people revealing something vulnerable from their heart, that creates a connection that is healthy and thoughtful versus just getting laughs.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

But Felix’s favorite vehicle was the cheapest—a fully loaded silver Range Rover.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

A dip on Ridgecrest Road south of Elmwood Drive can obscure vehicles from sight, Dailey said, likening pulling out into the intersection to “playing an old-school Frogger game.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The Marines already maintain a warehouse for humanitarian and disaster relief equipment, according to the local government, and the Navy last year sought to lease space for the storage and maintenance of vehicles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Elsewhere on the property, there is a six-car garage and a motor court that can accommodate 21 vehicles.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

A number of vehicles were damaged by falling debris.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

She walks toward the front of the building, where coordinating green picnic tables sit beneath a canopy, with vehicles parked on either side.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• automobile
• bicycle
• boat
• bus
• cab
• car
• jeep
• taxi
• truck
• van
• wagon