What does "car" mean?
A wheeled vehicle that moves independently, with at least three wheels, powered mechanically, steered by a driver and mostly for personal transportation but relatively smaller than a truck/lorry and a bus.
Car
/kɑː/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A wheeled vehicle that moves independently, with at least three wheels, powered mechanically, steered by a driver and mostly for personal transportation but relatively smaller than a truck/lorry and a bus.
- Grammar: car is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: auto, automobile, motorcar, railcar.
- Useful contrasts: spanish colectivo, bicycle, bicycles.
- Usage evidence: It's so hot that you could cook an egg on the hood of a car.
How to use "car"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "car" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "car" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "car" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "car" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "car" is acting as name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "auto" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "car", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A wheeled vehicle that moves independently, with at least three wheels, powered mechanically, steered by a driver and mostly for personal transportation but relatively smaller than a truck/lorry and a bus.
"He drove his car to the theatre."
- 2 The first part of a cons in Lisp. The first element of a list.
"The elements of a list are the successive cars along the "cdr chain." That is, the elements are the car, the car of the cdr, the car of the cdr of the cdr, etc."
- 3 Abbreviation of carnitine. abbreviation, alt-of, uncountable
- 4 a conveyance for passengers or freight on a cable railway wordnet
- 5 A wheeled vehicle, drawn by a horse or other animal. archaic
"It shall suffice me to enioy your loue, Which whiles I haue, I thinke my selfe as great, As Caesar riding in the Romaine streete, With captiue kings at his triumphant Carre."
Show 21 more definitions
- 6 Initialism of chimeric antigen receptor. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism
- 7 a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine wordnet
- 8 A wheeled vehicle, drawn by a horse or other animal.; A cart. archaic
- 9 a wheeled vehicle adapted to the rails of railroad wordnet
- 10 A wheeled vehicle, drawn by a horse or other animal.; A chariot. archaic
- 11 where passengers ride up and down wordnet
- 12 A wheeled vehicle, drawn by a horse or other animal.; A four-wheeled cab, as opposed to a (two-wheeled) Hansom cab. UK, archaic, obsolete
- 13 the compartment that is suspended from an airship and that carries personnel and the cargo and the power plant wordnet
- 14 Any vehicle designed to run on rails, especially an unpowered one towed by being connected to others.; An unpowered unit in a railroad train, used to hold either passengers or cargo. Canada, US
"The conductor coupled the cars to the locomotive."
- 15 Any vehicle designed to run on rails, especially an unpowered one towed by being connected to others.; A similar vehicle used in special contexts, such as mines, quarries, and mills.
- 16 Any vehicle designed to run on rails, especially an unpowered one towed by being connected to others.; an individual vehicle, powered or unpowered, in a multiple unit.
"The 11:10 to London was operated by a 4-car diesel multiple unit."
- 17 Any vehicle designed to run on rails, especially an unpowered one towed by being connected to others.; A passenger-carrying unit in a subway or elevated train, whether powered or not.
"From the frontmost car of the subway, he filmed the progress through the tunnel."
- 18 Any vehicle designed to run on rails, especially an unpowered one towed by being connected to others.; A rough unit of quantity approximating the amount which would fill a railroad car.
"We ordered five hundred cars of gypsum."
- 19 The moving, load-carrying component of an elevator or other cable-drawn transport mechanism.
"Fix the car of the express elevator - the door is sticking."
- 20 The passenger-carrying portion of certain amusement park rides, such as Ferris wheels.
"The most exciting part of riding a Ferris wheel is when your car goes over the top."
- 21 The part of an airship, such as a balloon or dirigible, which houses the passengers and control apparatus.
"Everything being apparently in readiness now, I stepped into the car of the balloon, […]"
- 22 A sliding fitting that runs along a track.
"On boats 25 feet or more, it is best to mount a mast car and track on the front of the mast so you can adjust the height of the pole above the deck"
- 23 The aggregate of desirable characteristics of a car. US, informal, uncountable
"Buy now! You can get more car for your money."
- 24 A floating perforated box for living fish. US
- 25 A clique or gang. US, slang
- 26 Deliberate misspelling of cat. Internet, alt-of, deliberate, humorous, misspelling
Proper Noun
- 1 The most widespread of the Nicobarese languages spoken in the Nicobar Islands of India (ISO 839-3 code "caq").
- 2 A surname.
- 3 Initialism of Central African Republic. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
"Decades of conflict in CAR mirror the instability in other fragile African states where reliance on Russia’s military offerings has become increasingly prevalent, amid an aggressive push by Moscow to lessen Western influence on the continent."
- 4 Abbreviation of Carolina (North Carolina or South Carolina, states in the United States of America) abbreviation, alt-of
- 5 Initialism of Cordillera Administrative Region. Philippines, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Example
"It's so hot that you could cook an egg on the hood of a car."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "car"?
Common synonyms include: auto, automobile, motorcar, railcar, airship, auto.
How do you use "car" in a sentence?
It's so hot that you could cook an egg on the hood of a car.
How do you pronounce "car"?
Pronounced /kɑː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English carre, borrowed from Anglo-Norman carre, from Old Northern French (compare Old French char), from Latin carrus (“two-wheeled baggage wagon”), from Gaulish *karros, from Proto-Celtic *karros (“wagon”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós (“vehicle”). Doublet of carrus and horse.
Etymology 2
Acronym of contents of the address part of register number. Note that it was based on original hardware and has no meaning today.