Meanings
plural carriage returns
- On a typewriter or computer printer, the action that returns it to the beginning of the next line.
- computingThe control character (0x0D in ASCII, abbreviated as CR) that originally signaled a device to perform a carriage return, but now merely indicates the end of a line of text (newline).
[…] but it also reduces the likelihood of the "unterminated string literal" error message that can easily occur for seemingly trivial reasons when you're working with long strings — an accidental carriage return or a misnested quotation mark is all it takes.
1998, Jeff Frentzen, Henry Sobotka, Dewayne McNair, JavaScript Annotated Archives, page 28Synonyms: mul:\r
- The key or lever that initiates the carriage return action (on a typewriter) or generates the carriage return character (on a computer).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe control character (0x0D in ASCII, abbreviated as CR) that originally signaled a device to perform a carriage return, but now merely indicates the end of a line of text (newline).
Translations
Afrikaans wa-terugloop
- wa-terugloop(computing) The carriage return control character (0x0D in ASCII)
Dutch wagenterugloop
- wagenterugloopThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
Esperanto ĉaretreveno, ĉaretreveno
- ĉaretrevenoThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
- ĉaretreveno(computing) The carriage return control character (0x0D in ASCII)
Finnish telanpalautus, vaununpalautus
- telanpalautusThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
- vaununpalautus(computing) The carriage return control character (0x0D in ASCII)
- telanpalautus(computing) The carriage return control character (0x0D in ASCII)
- telanpalautusThe key which initiates a carriage return action or generates the carriage return control character
French retour chariot, retour chariot
- retour chariotThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
- retour chariot(computing) The carriage return control character (0x0D in ASCII)
- entréeThe key which initiates a carriage return action or generates the carriage return control character
German Wagenrücklauf, Wagenrücklaufzeichen
- WagenrücklaufThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
- Wagenrücklaufzeichen(computing) The carriage return control character (0x0D in ASCII)
- WagenrücklaufThe key which initiates a carriage return action or generates the carriage return control character
Icelandic vending
- vendingThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
Polish powrót karetki, powrót karetki
- powrót karetkiThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
- powrót karetki(computing) The carriage return control character (0x0D in ASCII)
- powrót karetkiThe key which initiates a carriage return action or generates the carriage return control character
Spanish retorno de carro
- retorno de carroThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
Swedish vagnretur, vagnåterföring
- vagnreturThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
- vagnåterföringThe action on a typewriter or printer that returns it to the beginning of the line
- vagnretur(computing) The carriage return control character (0x0D in ASCII)
- vagnreturThe key which initiates a carriage return action or generates the carriage return control character
Cite this entry
carriage return. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carriage%20return
“carriage return.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carriage%20return. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “carriage return,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carriage%20return.
Source: carriage return on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.