View synonyms for

vehicle

[ vee-i-kuhlor, sometimes, vee-hi- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport:
a motor vehicle; space vehicles.
a conveyance moving on wheels, runners, tracks, or the like, as a cart, sled, automobile, or tractor.
a means of transmission or passage:
Air is the vehicle of sound.
a carrier, as of infection.
a medium of communication, expression, or display:
The novel is a fitting vehicle for his talents. Language is the vehicle of thought.
Theater, Movies. a play, screenplay, or the like, having a role suited to the talents of and often written for a specific performer.
a means of accomplishing a purpose:
College is a vehicle for success.
Rhetoric. the thing or idea to which the subject of a metaphor is compared, as “rose” in “she is a rose.” Compare tenor ( def 3 ).
Pharmacology. a substance, usually fluid, possessing little or no medicinal action, used as a medium for active remedies.
Painting. a liquid, as oil, in which a pigment is mixed before being applied to a surface.

vehicle

/ ˈviːɪkəl; vɪˈhɪkjʊlə /

noun

any conveyance in or by which people or objects are transported, esp one fitted with wheels
a medium for the expression, communication, or achievement of ideas, information, power, etc
pharmacol a therapeutically inactive substance mixed with the active ingredient to give bulk to a medicine
Also calledbase a painting medium, such as oil, in which pigments are suspended
(in the performing arts) a play, musical composition, etc, that enables a particular performer to display his talents
a rocket excluding its payload

Discover More

Pronunciation Note

Because the primary stress in vehicle is on the first syllable, the [h] in the second syllable tends to disappear: [vee, -i-k, uh, l]. A pronunciation with primary stress on the second syllable and a fully pronounced [h] is usually considered nonstandard: [vee-, hik, -, uh, l]. In the adjective vehicular, where the primary stress is normally on the second syllable, the [h] is always pronounced.

Discover More

Derived Forms

vehicular, adjective

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of vehicle¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin vehiculum, from veh(ere) “to carry, convey, ride” + -i- -i- + -culum -cle ²

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of vehicle¹

C17: from Latin vehiculum, from vehere to carry

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Only when he got to his vehicle did Mr Deakin realise that someone was crouched down behind him.

From

But after he bought it, he noticed similar items in the vehicle.

From

With the state running out of its current combination of license plate numbers and letters, California plans to launch a new license plate sequence for newly registered vehicles starting next year.

From

A third canister of gas appeared to do the trick, with the woman exiting the vehicle where she was met by about a half-dozen police officers.

From

The Cybertruck was still wrapped around a tree hours after the crash, with a “no parking” sign crumpled in between the vehicle and the tree.

From

Related Words

vehemently vehicular

Browse