carriage

noun

car·​riage ˈker-ij How to pronounce carriage (audio)
ˈka-rij
plural carriages
1
a
: a wheeled vehicle
especially : a horse-drawn vehicle designed for private use and comfort
b
British : a railway passenger coach
2
: a wheeled support carrying a burden
3
a
: manner of bearing the body : posture
that slender unrigid erectness and the fine carriage of headWilla Cather
b
archaic : deportment
4
: the act of carrying
5
: a movable part of a machine for supporting some other movable object or part
a typewriter carriage
6
chiefly British : the price or expense of carrying
7
medical : the condition of harboring a pathogen within the body
Clinical manifestations of enterovirus infections are protean, ranging from asymptomatic carriage to life-threatening illness.Journal of the American Medical Association
Hospitals commonly screen patients in the ICU for nasal carriage of MRSA and use contact precautions with carriers.Susan S. Huang et al.
8
archaic : management
9
obsolete : burden, load
10
obsolete : import, sense
11
obsolete : a hanger for a sword
Choose the Right Synonym for carriage

bearing, deportment, demeanor, mien, manner, carriage mean the outward manifestation of personality or attitude.

bearing is the most general of these words but now usually implies characteristic posture.

a woman of regal bearing

deportment suggests actions or behavior as formed by breeding or training.

your deportment was atrocious

demeanor suggests one's attitude toward others as expressed in outward behavior.

the haughty demeanor of the headwaiter

mien is a literary term referring both to bearing and demeanor.

a mien of supreme self-satisfaction

manner implies characteristic or customary way of moving and gesturing and addressing others.

the imperious manner of a man used to giving orders

carriage applies chiefly to habitual posture in standing or walking.

the kind of carriage learned at boarding school

Examples of carriage in a Sentence

They rode to the city in carriages. I took the baby to the park in the carriage.
Recent Examples on the Web Most recently, a handful of Disney’s cable channels, including Freeform and Disney Junior, lost carriage on Charter Spectrum, raising questions about their programming future. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 Trooping the Colour takes place at Horse Guards Parade and is accompanied by a carriage procession up and down The Mall that stretches down from Buckingham Palace into central London. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 Last year also saw Charter engage in a high-stakes carriage showdown with Disney, with the companies ultimately reaching a deal that makes Disney+ available to Charter pay-TV customers, while also knocking some Disney channels (like Freeform and Disney Junior) off the channel lineup. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2024 The town was home to copper shops, a stove factory, three blacksmiths, a rye whisky distillery, a cheese factory, dry goods and general stores, and a wagon and carriage manufacturer. Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024 There were fewer industrial-sized wagons in Britain, and more small carriages and individual horse riders. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 In a country where a large percentage of streaming viewership is on mobile devices, subscription growth is being driven by carriage partnerships with telecoms providers, including India’s largest, Jio, Shergill said. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024 Her skillful plotting keeps readers guessing about not only the murderer, but also the identity of the passengers in the mysterious extra train carriage. David Nikel, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 While that site was under construction, Swift rented a West Village carriage house for $39,500 a month. Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carriage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cariage, carrage "act of transporting, conveyances collectively, vehicle, burden, baggage," borrowed from Anglo-French "transporting, means of transport, baggage train," from carier, charier "to transport, carry entry 1" + -age -age

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of carriage was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near carriage

Cite this Entry

“Carriage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carriage. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

carriage

noun
car·​riage ˈkar-ij How to pronounce carriage (audio)
1
: the act of carrying
2
: manner of holding the body : posture
3
: a horse-drawn wheeled vehicle designed for carrying persons
4
: a wheeled support carrying a load
gun carriage
5
: a movable part of a machine for supporting some other movable object or part
a typewriter carriage

Medical Definition

carriage

noun
car·​riage ˈkar-ij How to pronounce carriage (audio)
: the condition of harboring a pathogen within the body
immunization against hepatitis B reduced the rate of HBV carriage
asymptomatic carriage of the pneumococcus in the nasopharynx

More from Merriam-Webster on carriage

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