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.
Chez Fonfon sits at the crux of Five Points South, a neighborhood named for five streets that converge in a star shape where streetcars connecting the then suburb of Highland to the city once rumbled. — Leslie Pariseau, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026 Kansas City leaders spoke about various development projects around the city, housing, business partnerships, downtown growth, the streetcar and more. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026 The streetcar hurtled down the hill before coming off the rails on a bend and smashing into a building, leaving the wooden cabin a crumpled wreck. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 The Hop, Milwaukee's downtown streetcar, had about 30,700 riders during Summerfest in 2026, up from about 27,900 during last year's festival. — Blaise Mesa, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2026 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

Rhymes for streetcar

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Browse Nearby Words

street broker
streetcar
street certificate
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Cite this Entry

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

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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

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about streetcar

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