car

plural cars · alternative archaic carr

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.

   in a car

   5 more examples

   He drove his car to the theatre.

   He was thinking about buying a brand new car.

   I'm a stunt; ride in the car with some bump in the trunk.

   2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG

   If successful, Edison and Ford—in 1914—would move society away from the ever more expensive and then universally known killing hazards of gasoline cars: […] .

   2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal Combustion

   The race around the Interlagos circuit in São Paolo effectively became a 12-lap dash to the flag when Valtteri Bottas triggered the safety car after he pulled his Mercedes over with engine trouble.

   2019 November 17, Sarah Holt, “Verstappen wins Brazilian GP as Ferraris collide AND Gasly and Sainz claim first F1 podiums”, in CNN

   Synonyms: auto, motorcar, vehicle, automobile, motor, carriage, auto, automobile

2. archaicA wheeled vehicle, drawn by a horse or other animal.

   He has deserved it [armour], were it carbuncled Like holy Phoebus’ car.

   c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene viii]

   3 more examples

   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.

   1594, Christopher Marlow[e], The Troublesome Raigne and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England: […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press] for Henry Bell, […], published 1622, →OCLC, (please specify the page)

   The Red Foliot sate in his car of polished ebony, drawn by six black horses with flowing manes and tails; before him went his musicians, pipers and minstrels doing their craft, and behind him fifty spearmen, weighed down with armour and ponderous shields that covered them from chin to toe.

   1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 19

   In a poem by Sappho, Aphrodite is represented as riding in a car drawn by sparrows.

   1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 87

   1. archaicA cart.

      So it was agreed that the farmer shud sind his car to take his little bit o' furniture, an' that he shud remove an the following Thursday.

      1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 526

   2. archaicA chariot.
   3. UKarchaicobsoleteBirminghamA four-wheeled cab, as opposed to a (two-wheeled) Hansom cab.
3. Any vehicle designed to run on rails, especially an unpowered one towed by being connected to others.
   1. CanadaUSrail transportAn unpowered unit in a railroad train, used to hold either passengers or cargo.

      The conductor coupled the cars to the locomotive.

      Synonyms: railcar, wagon, carriage

   2. A similar vehicle used in special contexts, such as mines, quarries, and mills.
   3. rail transportan individual vehicle, powered or unpowered, in a multiple unit.

      The 11:10 to London was operated by a 4-car diesel multiple unit.

   4. rail transportA 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.

   5. A rough unit of quantity approximating the amount which would fill a railroad car.

      We ordered five hundred cars of gypsum.

      1 more example

      This market reports only one or two cars per day, selling by the hundred weight, and at a price a little lower than that of Indian corn.

      1907, Texas Agricultural, Mechanical College System, Bulletin, volumes 93-117, page 5

      Synonyms: carload, wagonload

4. 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.

5. 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.

   Synonyms: carriage

6. 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, […]

   1850, John Wise, A System of Aeronautics, page 152

   1 more example

   "What about a car?" "The car will be my next care. I have already planned how it is to be made and attached. Meanwhile I will simply show you how capable my apparatus is of supporting the weight of each of us."

   1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC

   Synonyms: gondola, basket

7. nauticalA 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.

   1995, Ken Textor, The New Book of Sail Trim, →ISBN, page 201

8. USA floating perforated box for living fish.
9. USslangA clique or gang.
10. InternetdeliberatehumorousmisspellingDeliberate misspelling of cat.

plural cars

1. computingThe 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.

   2000, Matt Kaufmann, Panagiotis Manolios, J Strother Moore, Computer-aided reasoning: an approach

   Antonyms: cdr

1. The most widespread of the Nicobarese languages spoken in the Nicobar Islands of India (ISO 839-3 code "caq").

   Synonyms: Car Nicobarese

1. A surname.

1. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of Central African Republic.

   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.

   2025 January 18, Nimi Princewill, “Across Africa, Russia is growing in influence. What might Moscow want?”, in CNN

2. abbreviationhobbiesAbbreviation of Carolina (North Carolina or South Carolina, states in the United States of America)
3. PhilippinesabbreviationinitialismInitialism of Cordillera Administrative Region.

plural CARs

1. abbreviationuncountablechemistryAbbreviation of carnitine.
2. abbreviationcountableinitialismimmunologyInitialism of chimeric antigen receptor.