streetcar

noun

street·​car ˈstrēt-ˌkär How to pronounce streetcar (audio)
: a vehicle on rails used primarily for transporting passengers and typically operating on city streets

Illustration of streetcar

Illustration of streetcar

Examples of streetcar in a Sentence

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.
Later, a streetcar line running up to the bluffs and through a tunnel at 8th Street also served the cause. Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2025 From Civil War-era railroads traveling through mountainous terrain to streetcars and subways in a modern metropolis, with intricately detailed houses and towns and steamboats and inclines and skyscrapers in scenes of American history. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 For the first week after the Louisville child spelled G-L-A-D-I-O-L-U-S correctly, everyone from President Calvin Coolidge to the White House policeman to Louisville streetcar workers wanted to wring his hand in congratulations. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025 The 12-mile corridor was to connect downtown St. Paul to the Mall of America in Bloomington through a potential streetcar. Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for streetcar

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of streetcar was in 1839

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Streetcar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/streetcar. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

streetcar

noun
street·​car -ˌkär How to pronounce streetcar (audio)
: a passenger vehicle that runs on rails and typically operates on city streets

More from Merriam-Webster on streetcar

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