car

car — noun

1. a small engine-powered machine on four wheels that ordinary people drive to trav

1.nounA1
Definition

a small engine-powered machine on four wheels that ordinary people drive to travel around town or longer distances

Example

Diego got into his car and drove to the supermarket.

by car / in the car — preposition use

The mechanic said the red car needs new brake pads.

countable noun with colour adjective

Common collocations
  • drive a car
  • park a car
  • wash the car
  • get into a car
  • get out of a car
  • by car
Synonyms
  • automobile

    formal or American English; less common in daily conversation

  • vehicle

    broader term covering cars, trucks, buses, and vans

  • motor vehicle

    official / legal term found on forms and regulations

Grammar Patterns

a/the car

by car

in a/the car

Usage Note

For describing means of travel, use the pattern 'by car' without an article ('We went by car'). 'In the car' or 'in a car' is used when talking about location or a specific vehicle.

Common Mistakes

I go to work by a car every day.
I go to work by car every day.
'by car' uses no article when it means the method of travel.
I drove my car to the station and parked the car there.' (repetitive)
I drove to the station and parked the car there.
the verb 'drive' already tells the reader you used a car.

2. a separate section of a train designed for a particular purpose, such as serving

2.nounB1
Definition

a separate section of a train designed for a particular purpose, such as serving meals, providing beds, or carrying baggage

Example

The dining car serves hot meals to passengers during the overnight journey.

dining car — compound noun for a special-purpose car

Priya reserved a seat in the quiet car, where phone calls are not allowed.

quiet car — named special-purpose car

Common collocations
  • dining car
  • sleeping car
  • baggage car
  • lounge car
  • quiet car
Synonyms
  • coach

    British English term for a train car; can also mean a bus for long journeys

  • carriage

    British term for a section of a passenger train

Grammar Patterns

the dining car

a sleeping car

Usage Note

This sense almost always appears in compound nouns with a purpose word before 'car': dining car, sleeping car, baggage car, lounge car. The compound tells you what the car is used for.

Common Mistakes

We ate in the eat car.
We ate in the dining car.
the purpose word is a gerund or noun (dining, sleeping, baggage), not a bare verb.

3. one of the connected sections of a train where passengers sit during the journey

3.nounB1
Definition

one of the connected sections of a train where passengers sit during the journey, fitted with rows of seats

Example

Kofi found two empty seats in the third car from the front of the train.

position: third car from the front

Each car on the high-speed train has air conditioning and charging ports.

Common collocations
  • front car
  • back car
  • rear car
  • passenger car
  • train car
Synonyms
  • carriage

    British English for a passenger car on a train

  • coach

    British term for a standard passenger car, especially on long-distance trains

Grammar Patterns

a train car

the front/back car of the train

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2 (TRAIN COMPARTMENT): sense 2 emphasises what the car is used for (dining, sleeping), while sense 3 is about any ordinary passenger-carrying car. In American English, 'car' is the usual word; in British English, 'carriage' is common.

Common Mistakes

I sat in the dining car with my suitcase.' (confusing sense 2 and 3)
I found a seat in the passenger car and stored my suitcase on the rack.
'passenger car' (sense 3) is for ordinary seating; 'dining car' (sense 2) is a special-purpose car.

4. a wagon-like section of a railway train built for carrying cargo, raw materials,

4.nounB1
Definition

a wagon-like section of a railway train built for carrying cargo, raw materials, or animals instead of people

Example

The freight car was loaded with steel beams for the new bridge.

freight car — compound for goods-carrying car

Aiko watched the train pass, counting twenty freight cars filled with coal.

countable: twenty freight cars

Common collocations
  • freight car
  • goods car
  • cattle car
  • coal car
  • boxcar
Synonyms
  • goods wagon

    British English; common term for a freight-carrying train car

  • boxcar

    a specific type of enclosed freight car common in North America

Grammar Patterns

a freight car

a goods car

Usage Note

In American English, 'freight car' is the standard term. In British English, 'goods wagon' or 'goods van' is more common. This sense does NOT take passengers.

Common Mistakes

I bought a ticket on the freight car.
I bought a ticket on the passenger car.
freight cars carry goods, not people.

Word family

  • motorcar
    nounC1
  • carful
    nounC2
  • carless
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

CAR is the everyday word for a small private road vehicle that seats a driver and a few passengers. AUTOMOBILE is more formal and technical; you see it in legal documents, car manuals, and historical writing, but rarely in casual conversation. VEHICLE is the broadest term — it covers cars, trucks, buses, vans, and motorcycles, so it is useful when you want to group all types of transport together. MOTOR VEHICLE is an official or legal term used on driving licences, insurance forms, and government regulations. If you are buying a used car from a private seller, you say 'I am looking for a car.' If you fill in a registration form, the document asks for 'type of motor vehicle.' If you talk about road safety in general, you say 'all vehicles must stop at the red light.'

automobile ↗vehicle ↗motor vehicle

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • by car
  • in a/the car
  • out of a/the car
  • into a/the car

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'car' comes from Latin 'carrus' meaning a four-wheeled wagon. It travelled through Old French 'carre' and Anglo-Norman before entering English in the 1300s. For centuries it meant any wheeled vehicle, especially a cart or carriage. When the automobile was invented in the late 1800s, 'car' was adopted as a short form of 'motorcar' and gradually became the primary meaning for most speakers, while the train-related senses go back to the 1800s when railway carriages were shortened to 'cars' in American usage.