caravan

1 of 2

noun

car·​a·​van ˈker-ə-ˌvan How to pronounce caravan (audio)
ˈka-rə-
Synonyms of caravan
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 of caravan

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Noun

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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
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Noun
Biddy covered most of the journey on foot—the equivalent of about six million steps—herding animals at the rear of her owner’s wagon company and choking her way through a moving screen of dust kicked up by the migrant caravan. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 Traditionally, the man of the house leads the caravan and sets up camp each night while the wife and kids have the arduous task of moving the goats, on top of household duties like preparing meals. — Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
The change, which Cochrane said is an experiment, is also a concession to several external factors that make the old-school style caravans more challenging. — Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 18 Jan. 2026 Each spring, his parents and five siblings would caravan with a couple of other families from South Texas to the Oregon-Idaho border. — Matthew Odam, Austin American-Statesman, 9 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for caravan

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of caravan was in 1588

Rhymes for caravan

See All Rhymes for caravan

Browse Nearby Words

Caravaggisti
caravan
caravance
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Caravan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caravan. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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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

More from Merriam-Webster on caravan

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about caravan

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