What does "cart" mean?
A small, open, wheeled vehicle, drawn or pushed by a person or animal, often with two wheels on one axle, more often used for transporting goods than passengers.
Cart
/kɑːt/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small, open, wheeled vehicle, drawn or pushed by a person or animal, often with two wheels on one axle, more often used for transporting goods than passengers.
- Grammar: cart is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: handcart, pushcart, barge, barrow.
- Usage evidence: When you speak of a pay-raise before recognition, I am inclined to think you are putting the cart before the horse.
How to use "cart"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cart" 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 "cart" 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 "cart" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cart" 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 "cart" is acting as name, noun, verb, 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 "handcart" 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 "cart", 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 small, open, wheeled vehicle, drawn or pushed by a person or animal, often with two wheels on one axle, more often used for transporting goods than passengers.
"The grocer delivered his goods by cart."
- 2 A tape cartridge used for pre-recorded material such as jingles and advertisements. informal
- 3 Acronym of classification and regression tree abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 4 a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal wordnet
- 5 A small motor vehicle resembling a car; a go-cart.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A cartridge for a computer or video game system. informal
"My Final Fantasy cart on the NES is still alive and kicking."
- 7 wheeled vehicle that can be pushed by a person; may have one or two or four wheels wordnet
- 8 A shopping cart. Internet
- 9 A cartridge containing cannabis oil used in vape pens. slang
"Elysse got sober before entering college but soon found that seemingly everyone on her dorm floor habitually used weed. ¶ "Not only carts," she said, referring to the cannabis cartridges used in vape pens, "but bongs, pipes, bowls — absolutely everything.""
Verb
- 1 To carry or convey in a cart. transitive
""You had better cart in your crops! To-morrow it'll be snowing!""
- 2 transport something in a cart wordnet
- 3 To carry goods. informal, transitive
"I've been carting these things around all day."
- 4 draw slowly or heavily wordnet
- 5 To remove, especially involuntarily or for disposal. transitive
"On August 4, 1927, Della was carted away to the Norwalk State Hospital, suffering from acute myocarditis"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To expose in a cart by way of punishment. obsolete, transitive
"She to intrigues was ev'n hard hearted: She chuckled when a bawd was carted"
Proper Noun
- 1 Acronym of Championship Auto Racing Teams, a defunct sanctioning body for open-wheel racing in motorsports in the United States of America. (Compare USAC, FIA.) abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 2 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 3 A short river, the River Cart in Renfrewshire council area, Scotland, formed from its tributaries Black Cart Water and White Cart Water. countable, uncountable
Example
"When you speak of a pay-raise before recognition, I am inclined to think you are putting the cart before the horse."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cart"?
Common synonyms include: handcart, pushcart, barge, barrow, barrows, boat.
How do you use "cart" in a sentence?
When you speak of a pay-raise before recognition, I am inclined to think you are putting the cart before the horse.
How do you pronounce "cart"?
Pronounced /kɑːt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English cart, kart, from Old Norse kartr (“wagon; cart”), merged with native Old English cræt (“a chariot; cart”), from Proto-Germanic *krattaz, *krattijô, *kradō, from Proto-Indo-European *gret- (“tracery; wattle; cradle; cage; basket”), from *ger- (“to turn, wind”). Cognate with West Frisian kret (“wheelbarrow for hauling dung”), Dutch krat, kret (“crate; wheelbarrow for hauling dung”), German Krätze (“basket; pannier”). Wider cognates include Sanskrit ग्रन्थ (grantha, “a binding”).
Etymology 2
Clipping of cartridge.