carpet

carpet — noun

1. thick, soft fabric, typically made from wool or synthetic fibres, that people in

1.nounA2
Definition

thick, soft fabric, typically made from wool or synthetic fibres, that people install on a room's floor to make it warmer and more comfortable underfoot.

Example

The children sat on the soft carpet and played with their building blocks.

carpet as floor covering for sitting on

We decided to replace the old brown carpet in the living room with wooden flooring.

Common collocations
  • lay a carpet
  • fit a carpet
  • wall-to-wall carpet
  • carpet cleaner
  • carpet tile
  • carpet remnant
Synonyms
  • rug

    smaller and usually not fixed to the floor; can be moved or hung

  • mat

    smaller still, often placed at a door or under furniture; thinner than a carpet

  • flooring

    the general category of floor-covering materials (wood, tile, stone, carpet etc.)

Usage Note

As an uncountable noun, carpet refers to the material itself ('we bought new carpet for the bedroom'). As a countable noun, it emphasises a specific piece or fitted covering ('a large carpet in the hall').

Common Mistakes

I spilled coffee on the carpet and now I need to wash the carpet in the machine.
I spilled coffee on the carpet and now I need to have it professionally cleaned.
Carpets are too large to put in a washing machine; use 'clean the carpet' or 'shampoo the carpet.'
The carpet on the wall is very old.
The rug on the wall is very old.
A 'carpet' is fixed to the floor; a 'rug' is a smaller piece that can hang on a wall or lie on the floor.

2. a natural substance — such as leaves, flowers, snow, or moss — that spreads acro

2.nounB2
Definition

a natural substance — such as leaves, flowers, snow, or moss — that spreads across the ground in a thick, even layer, like a soft covering.

Example

A thick carpet of autumn leaves covered the garden path after the storm.

carpet of + natural material (leaves, snow, flowers)

When the cherry trees bloom, the park is covered in a pink carpet of petals.

Common collocations
  • a carpet of leaves
  • a carpet of snow
  • a carpet of flowers
  • a green carpet of moss
Synonyms
  • blanket

    similar thickness but implies warmth/cover; used for snow (a blanket of snow) but less common for leaves

  • layer

    more neutral and less evocative; does not suggest softness or thickness

  • covering

    general term; any substance that covers a surface

Usage Note

Only used in singular form. This sense always appears in the pattern 'a carpet of + [natural substance]' or 'a [colour] carpet of [substance]'. The substance is typically natural (leaves, snow, flowers, moss, grass). Do not use for man-made coverings like gravel or plastic.

Common Mistakes

The children played on the carpet of grass.
The children played on the grassy field.
'Carpet of grass' is unnatural; 'carpet' implies a thick, soft, layered covering, not a standard grassy area.

3. a ceremonial walkway made of red fabric, put in place at formal events such as f

3.nounB1
Definition

a ceremonial walkway made of red fabric, put in place at formal events such as film premieres, award galas, or state receptions so that honoured guests can step out of their vehicles and enter in style.

Example

The star walked down the red carpet surrounded by photographers and fans.

red carpet as ceremonial walkway at events

Award nominees begin arriving on the red carpet about two hours before the ceremony starts.

Common collocations
  • the red carpet
  • walk the red carpet
  • roll out the red carpet
  • red carpet event
  • red carpet premiere
Synonyms

Usage Note

Often used in the fixed phrase 'the red carpet' (with definite article) to refer to the ceremonial event itself ('the red carpet was full of stars'), or in the idiomatic expression 'roll out the red carpet for someone', meaning to give someone a very special, formal welcome.

Common Mistakes

They put out a red carpet to welcome us to their home.
They rolled out the red carpet for us.
For casual welcomes, use the idiom 'roll out the red carpet.' The literal red carpet is reserved for formal/celebrity events.
Idioms

(be/get called) on the carpet

idiom

Being ordered to meet with a boss or authority figure to explain a mistake or misbehavior.

Maya was called on the carpet for missing the deadline.

Did you get called on the carpet for that error in the report?

sweep something under the carpet

idiom

To hide a problem or embarrassing fact instead of dealing with it openly.

The company tried to sweep the accounting error under the carpet.

Instead of sweeping it under the carpet, Diego admitted his mistake.

carpet — verb

Word family

  • carpeted
    adjectiveB1
  • carpeting
    nounC1
  • carpetless
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Carpet, rug, mat, and runner all refer to floor coverings but differ in size, fixity, and placement. A carpet is usually large, cut to fit the room shape, and fixed in place — you typically cannot pick it up easily. A rug is smaller, often decorative, and lies loose on top of the floor or another flooring — it can be rolled up and moved. A mat is smaller still and thinner, often placed at a doorway, in a bathroom, or under a desk for practical purposes like wiping feet or protecting the floor. A runner is a long, narrow carpet or rug designed for hallways or stairs. For example: 'We had a wall-to-wall carpet fitted in the living room, put a wool rug under the coffee table, left a small mat by the front door, and laid a runner along the hallway.' Choosing the right word depends on size, whether it is fixed, and the room where it belongs.

carpet ↗rug ↗mat ↗runner ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • carpet cleaner
  • carpet fitter
  • carpet tile
  • carpet remnant
  • carpet shampoo

Adverbs

Phrases

  • roll out the red carpet
  • sweep under the carpet
  • be/get called on the carpet

Prepositions

  • on (the carpet)
  • under (the carpet)
  • over (the carpeted floor)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'carpet' entered English from Old French 'carpite', which came from Latin 'carpita' — a type of thick woollen cloth. The Latin root 'carpere' meant 'to pluck, card, or pull apart' (wool fibres), referring to how the fabric was made by teasing fibres into a soft, thick surface. In Middle English, 'carpet' originally referred to any heavy fabric used as a table cover or bedspread, not a floor covering. It was only in the 1600s that the word shifted to its modern meaning of a floor covering, likely because the same thick, tufted fabric began to be used on floors rather than on tables.