What does "vehicle" mean?
A conveyance: a spacious device for carrying or transporting substances, objects, people or animals.
Vehicle
/ˈviː.ɪ.kəl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A conveyance: a spacious device for carrying or transporting substances, objects, people or animals.
- Grammar: vehicle is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: conveyance, agency, agent, ancilla.
- Useful contrasts: barrier, foot traveler, obstruction.
- Usage evidence: The speeding vehicle skidded and crashed head-on into the rear-end of a truck before the driver could say Jack Robinson.
How to use "vehicle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "vehicle" 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 "vehicle" 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 "vehicle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "vehicle" 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 "vehicle" is acting as noun, verb 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 "conveyance" 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 "vehicle", 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 conveyance: a spacious device for carrying or transporting substances, objects, people or animals.
"But electric vehicles and the batteries that made them run became ensnared in corporate scandals, fraud, and monopolistic corruption that shook the confidence of the nation and inspired automotive upstarts."
- 2 a conveyance that transports people or objects wordnet
- 3 A guided or aimed mobile object or apparatus, especially if intended or used as a weapon.
"kinetic kill vehicle"
- 4 a medium for the expression or achievement of something wordnet
- 5 A medium for expression of talent or views.
"supporting actors in a Steven Spielberg vehicle"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 any inanimate object (as a towel or money or clothing or dishes or books or toys etc.) that can transmit infectious agents from one person to another wordnet
- 7 A liquid content (e.g., oil) which acts as a binding and drying agent in paint.
- 8 any substance that facilitates the use of a drug or pigment or other material that is mixed with it wordnet
- 9 The main excipient (such as an oil or gel) that conveys the active ingredient of a drug.
"an ointment with a petrolatum vehicle"
- 10 An entity to achieve an end.
"mission service as a vehicle for development of better-rounded worldviews"
- 11 A mode or method of spiritual practice; a yana.
- 12 An animal or (rarely) a plant on which a Hindu deity rides or sits. Hinduism
Verb
- 1 To transport in a vehicle, or as if in a vehicle.
- 2 To travel in a vehicle.
Antonyms
Example
"The speeding vehicle skidded and crashed head-on into the rear-end of a truck before the driver could say Jack Robinson."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "vehicle"?
Common synonyms include: conveyance, agency, agent, ancilla, antimasque, appliance.
How do you use "vehicle" in a sentence?
The speeding vehicle skidded and crashed head-on into the rear-end of a truck before the driver could say Jack Robinson.
How do you pronounce "vehicle"?
Pronounced /ˈviː.ɪ.kəl/.
Etymology
Borrowed from French véhicule, from Latin vehiculum (“a carriage, conveyance”), from vehere (“to carry”).