Caravan
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A convoy or procession of travellers, their cargo and vehicles, and any pack animals, especially camels crossing a desert.
"To the left the caravan animals, securely picketed, at regular distances of some fifteen yards apart, occupied an area of several acres."
- 2 a camper equipped with living quarters wordnet
- 3 A furnished vehicle towed behind a car, etc., and used as a dwelling when stationary. Australia, British, New-Zealand, South-Africa
"An Italian woman, twenty years of age, […] was travelling in a caravan with the baggage of the Duke of Wellington's army, in the middle of the night, in a violent storm, while she was fast asleep, a small monkey with a long chain upon the roof of the caravan took refuge in it […]"
- 4 a procession (of wagons or mules or camels) traveling together in single file wordnet
- 5 A group of camels. collective
- 1 To travel in a caravan (procession).
"The wedding party got in their cars and caravaned from the chapel to the reception hall."
- 2 travel in a caravan wordnet
- 3 To travel and/or live in a caravan (vehicle). Australia, UK
"When my parents retired they really got back into caravanning."
Example
More examples"Dogs bark when the caravan passes by."
Etymology
From Middle French caravane, from Old French carvane, from Persian کاروان (kârvân), from Middle Persian kʾlwʾn' (kārawān), from Old Persian 𐎣𐎠𐎼 (k-a-r, “people, subjects”). The word was used to designate a group of people who were travelling by camel or horse on the Silk Road. Doublet of Kairouan.
Related phrases
More for "caravan"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.