caravan

1 of 2

noun

car·​a·​van ˈker-ə-ˌvan 

ˈka-rə-

1

a

: a company of travelers on a journey through desert or hostile regions

also : a train of pack animals

b

: a group of vehicles traveling together (as in a file)

2

a

: a covered wagon or motor vehicle equipped as traveling living quarters

b

British : trailer sense 1b

caravan

2 of 2

verb

caravanned or caravaned; caravanning or caravaning

intransitive verb

: to travel in a caravan

Synonyms

Noun

• armada
• cavalcade
• fleet
• line
• motorcade
• train

Examples of caravan in a Sentence

Noun

a funeral caravan slowly making its way down the street

bought a caravan and drove cross-country to California

Verb

We caravaned to the campsite.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Military deployed at the U.S.-Mexico border In late 2018 — just before the midterm election — Trump deployed more than 5,000 active-duty members of the military to the southern border in response to a caravan of Central American migrants making its way toward the U.S.-Mexico border. —Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024

Where were the caravans, the crowds surging through gaps in the wall? —Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024

Verb

Supporters caravaned along Helena’s downtown, honking horns. —J. David McSwane, ProPublica, 7 Dec. 2024

Northern Arizona employees gathered in Flagstaff before meeting in Holbrook with employees from Payson and Snowflake to caravan across the country. —Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 12 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian caravana, from Persian kārvān

First Known Use

Noun

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1885, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

caravan

noun

car·​a·​van

ˈkar-ə-ˌvan

1

a

: a group (as of merchants or pilgrims) traveling together on a long journey through desert or dangerous regions

b

: a group of pack animals or of vehicles traveling together one behind the other

2

: a covered vehicle

especially : one equipped as traveling living quarters