vehicle

American  

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

noun

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

• vehicular adjective

Etymology

Origin of vehicle

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

Example Sentences

“I spent three hours calling the surrounding police stations ... saying, ‘Hey, did you guys tow this vehicle?’ and they all said ‘No,’” Roller said.

From Los Angeles Times

Historically, college functioned as a means—a vehicle by which students acquired knowledge and skills in pursuit of a specific future career.

From The Wall Street Journal

Information that’s publicly available, such as vehicle, real estate or voting records, also does not need to be scrubbed.

From Los Angeles Times

Walter Monsalve, a 55-year-old teacher who works on both sides of the border that Colombia reinforced with soldiers and armored vehicles, said he was "in shock."

From Barron's

Electric vehicle sales in the quarter totaled 14,513 vehicles, down 52% from a year earlier, pressured by the September expiration of the $7,500 federal purchase tax credit.

From Barron's

Related Words

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