cart

1 of 2

noun

plural carts
1
: a heavy usually horse-drawn 2-wheeled vehicle used for farming or transporting freight
2
: a lightweight 2-wheeled vehicle drawn by a horse, pony, or dog
3
a
: a small wheeled vehicle see golf cart, grocery cart, shopping cart sense 1
b
: a table with wheels that is used especially for serving food
I make conversation after asking to look at the menu: That apple tart on the dessert cart—who made it, and what's in the crust?Corby Kummer
4
: a temporary record of items selected for purchase from an online vendor : shopping cart sense 2
You head back to your favorite Web shopping site, and the stuff you crammed in your cart last time is still there, waiting for you to buy it or dump it.Neil Randall

cart

2 of 2

verb

carted; carting; carts

transitive verb

1
: to carry or convey in or as if in a cart
buses to cart the kids to and from schoolL. S. Gannett
2
: to take or drag away without ceremony or by force
usually used with off
they carted him off to jail
carter noun

Examples of cart in a Sentence

Noun a cart piled up with hay Verb We carted some dirt to the garden. I carted all the books home. He carted the bags away.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
These deals won't be around forever, so hurry up and add these to your cart! Gabriela Vatu, PCMAG, 7 Feb. 2025 After unexpectedly awaking in the snowy wilderness of the Dieter Eagan National Forest, dressed to the nines in matching black fur coats and hats, the innies stumble upon an old-school TV cart. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
Japanese moviegoers are famously well-behaved, even carting out their empty soda cups and popcorn containers after the screening. Mark Schilling, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025 Cornerback Christian Benford had to be carted off the field after suffering a significant head injury. Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for cart 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, probably from Old Norse kartr; akin to Old English cræt cart

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cart was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near cart

Cite this Entry

“Cart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cart. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

cart

1 of 2 noun
1
: a heavy two-wheeled wagon usually pulled by a horse
2
: a light usually two-wheeled vehicle
pony cart

cart

2 of 2 verb
: to carry in or as if in a cart
carter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cart

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!