taxi

taxi — noun

1. a passenger vehicle that you hire for individual trips and pay the driver based

1.nounA1
Definition

a passenger vehicle that you hire for individual trips and pay the driver based on the distance travelled or a set fare

Example

Ayesha stepped into the street and raised her arm to call a taxi.

collocation: call a taxi (summon one to your location)

Mauricio took a taxi to the airport because his bags were too heavy.

collocation: take a taxi (use one for a journey)

Common collocations
  • call a taxi
  • take a taxi
  • hail a taxi
  • taxi driver
  • taxi rank
  • taxi fare
Synonyms
  • cab

    shorter, informal equivalent of taxi; very common in US English

  • taxicab

    full formal name for the same vehicle

  • hackney carriage

    official term for licensed taxis in some UK cities; rare in everyday speech

Grammar Patterns

a taxi

by taxi

take a taxi

Common Mistakes

I need to catch a taxi to the airport.
I need to take a taxi to the airport.
'catch' is used for buses and trains; 'take a taxi' or 'get a taxi' is the natural pattern.

taxi — verb

Word family

  • taxicab
    nounB1
  • cab
    nounA2
  • taxi driver
    nounA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Taxi', 'cab', and 'taxicab' all refer to the same type of vehicle — a car with a driver that passengers pay to take them somewhere. 'Taxicab' is the full formal name but is rarely used in everyday speech; you might see it on official signs or permits. 'Cab' is an informal shortened form, very common in American English ('I'll call a cab'), and also standard in British English. 'Taxi' sits in the middle — neutral in register and used in both casual and formal contexts. 'Rideshare' (or 'ride-hailing') refers to services like Uber or Lyft, where passengers order a private car through an app; while similar in function, these are not licensed taxis and usually involve a different payment model. Example: 'Dewi hailed a taxi at the hotel entrance' sounds natural in any situation, while 'Dewi hailed a cab' is slightly more informal. For rideshare, you would say 'Dewi ordered an Uber through the app.'

taxi ↗cab ↗taxicabrideshares

Common collocations

Nouns

  • taxi driver
  • taxi stand
  • taxi rank
  • taxi fare
  • taxi ride
  • taxi service
  • taxi company

Adverbs

  • by taxi

Phrases

  • call a taxi
  • hail a taxi
  • take a taxi
  • get a taxi
  • flag down a taxi
  • share a taxi

Prepositions

  • in a taxi
  • out of a taxi

Etymology

Medieval LatinFrenchGermanEnglish

The word 'taxi' is a shortened form of 'taxicab,' which combines 'taximeter' (a device that measures the distance travelled and calculates the fare) and 'cab' (short for 'cabriolet,' a horse-drawn carriage with a folding hood). 'Taximeter' traces back through German and French to Medieval Latin 'taxa,' meaning 'tax' or 'charge.' The verb sense for aircraft (moving slowly on the ground) arose in the early 1900s, drawing a playful comparison between a slow-moving cab looking for passengers and a plane manoeuvring to the runway.