carousel

noun

car·​ou·​sel ˌker-ə-ˈsel 

ˌka-rə-

also

-ˈzel  ˈker-ə-ˌsel 

ˈka-rə-

variants or less commonly carrousel

1

: a tournament or exhibition in which horsemen execute evolutions

2

a

: merry-go-round

b

: a circular conveyor

the luggage carousel at the airport

c

: a revolving case or tray used for storage or display

Examples of carousel in a Sentence

He loves to ride on the carousel at the park.

the luggage carousel at the airport

a CD player with a six-disk carousel

Recent Examples on the Web

Yes, the college football coaching carousel wrapped up its last ride. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025

Jewel's photo carousel also featured a pic of her in a navy blue bikini while standing on a dock in front of crystal-blue water. —Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025

The final picture in the carousel included a short video of comedian and boyfriend Matt Rogers sitting with him at his bedside. —Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 8 Dec. 2025

Bieber’s matching pedicure, featured on the last slide of her personal Instagram carousel, features a full-cheetah treatment, with tiny spots on every toe. —Glamour, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French carrousel, from Italian carosello

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carousel

• bagatelle
• caravel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• infidel
• isabel
• machiavel

Kids Definition

carousel

noun

car·​ou·​sel

variants also carrousel

ˌkar-ə-ˈsel

also -ˈzel;

ˈkar-ə-ˌsel

also -ˌzel

: merry-go-round sense 1