vehicle

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ve·hi·cle

(vē′ĭ-kəl)

a. A device or structure for transporting persons or things; a conveyance: a space vehicle.

b. A self-propelled conveyance that runs on tires; a motor vehicle.

2. A medium through which something is transmitted, expressed, or accomplished: His novels are a vehicle for his political views.

3. The concrete or specific word or phrase that is applied to the tenor of a metaphor and gives the metaphor its figurative power, as walking shadow in "Life's but a walking shadow" (Shakespeare).

4. A play, role, or piece of music used to display the special talents of one performer or company.

5. An inactive substance that is combined with an active medication to facilitate administration.

6. A substance, such as oil, in which paint pigments are mixed for application.

[Latin vehiculum, from vehere, to carry; see wegh- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

vehicle

(ˈviːɪkəl)

1. (Automotive Engineering) any conveyance in or by which people or objects are transported, esp one fitted with wheels

2. a medium for the expression, communication, or achievement of ideas, information, power, etc

3. (Pharmacology) pharmacol a therapeutically inactive substance mixed with the active ingredient to give bulk to a medicine

4. (Art Terms) Also called: base a painting medium, such as oil, in which pigments are suspended

5. (Theatre) (in the performing arts) a play, musical composition, etc, that enables a particular performer to display his talents

6. (Astronautics) a rocket excluding its payload

[C17: from Latin vehiculum, from vehere to carry]

vehicular adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ve•hi•cle

(ˈvi ɪ kəl or, sometimes, ˈvi hɪ-)

n.

1. any means in or by which someone or something is carried or conveyed: a motor vehicle.

2. a conveyance moving on wheels, runners, or the like, as an automobile.

3. a means of transmission or passage: Air is the vehicle of sound.

4. a medium of communication, expression, or display: Language is the vehicle of thought.

5. a play, screenplay, or other work with a role designed or especially well-suited to display the talents of a particular performer.

6. a chemically inert substance used as a medium for active remedies.

7. a liquid, as oil, in which a paint pigment is mixed before being applied to a surface.

[1605–15; < Latin vehiculum=veh(ere) to convey + -i- -i- + -culum -cle²]

vehicle

A self-propelled, boosted, or towed conveyance for transporting a burden on land or sea or through air or space. See also air cushion vehicle; amphibious vehicle; combat vehicle; commercial vehicle; ground effect machine; remotely piloted vehicle; special-equipment vehicle; special-purpose vehicle; substitute transport-type vehicle; transport vehicle.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	vehicle - a conveyance that transports people or objects bumper car, Dodgem - a small low-powered electrically powered vehicle driven on a special platform where there are many others to be dodged transport, conveyance - something that serves as a means of transportation craft - a vehicle designed for navigation in or on water or air or through outer space military vehicle - vehicle used by the armed forces rocket, projectile - any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine skibob - a vehicle resembling a bicycle but having skis instead of wheels; the rider wears short skis for balancing sled, sledge, sleigh - a vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs; for transportation over snow dashboard, splashboard, splasher - protective covering consisting of a panel to protect people from the splashing water or mud etc. road roller, steamroller - vehicle equipped with heavy wide smooth rollers for compacting roads and pavements wheeled vehicle - a vehicle that moves on wheels and usually has a container for transporting things or people; "the oldest known wheeled vehicles were found in Sumer and Syria and date from around 3500 BC"
	2.	vehicle - a medium for the expression or achievement of something; "his editorials provided a vehicle for his political views"; "a congregation is a vehicle of group identity"; "the play was just a vehicle to display her talents" medium - a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
	3.	vehicle - any substance that facilitates the use of a drug or pigment or other material that is mixed with it substance - a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties; "shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man"
	4.	vehicle - any inanimate object (as a towel or money or clothing or dishes or books or toys etc.) that can transmit infectious agents from one person to another fomite object, physical object - a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow; "it was full of rackets, balls and other objects"

vehicle

noun

1. conveyance, machine, motor vehicle, means of transport a vehicle which was somewhere between a tractor and a truck

2. medium, means, channel, mechanism, organ, apparatus, means of expression Her art became a vehicle for her political beliefs.

Related words
fear ochophobia

see aircraft, bicycles, boats and ships, carriages and carts

Types of vehicle

aircraft, ambulance, articulated lorry or (informal) artic, autocycle, autorickshaw, barrow, bicycle or (informal) bike, Black Maria, boat, bulldozer, bus, cab, cabriolet, camion, camper (U.S. & Canad.), camper van, car, caravan, carriage, Caterpillar (trademark), chaise, charabanc (Brit.), chariot, coach, combine harvester, Conestoga wagon (U.S. & Canad.), coupé, cycle, delivery van or (U.S. & Canad.) panel truck, Dormobile (trademark), double-decker (chiefly Brit.), dray, dump truck or dumper-truck, dustcart or (U.S. & Canad.) garbage truck, estate car, fire engine, fork-lift truck, gritter (Brit.), hansom or hansom cab, hatchback or hatch, hog (informal), jaunting car or jaunty car, JCB (trademark), Jeep (trademark), jet ski, jinricksha, jinrickshaw, jinrikisha or jinriksha, jitney (U.S., rare), kart, go-cart, or go-kart, kibitka, komatik, koneke (N.Z.), landaulet or landaulette, light engine or (U.S.) wildcat, limousine, litter, locomotive, lorry, low-loader, luge, milk float, minibus, moped, motorbicycle, motorbike, motorbus, motorcar, motor caravan, motorcycle, motor scooter, motor vehicle, off-road vehicle, omnibus, panda car (Brit.), pantechnicon (Brit.), pick-up (Austral. & N.Z.) utility truck, or (informal) ute, police car, postbus, post chaise, pram, racing car, railcar, ratha, rickshaw, roadroller, road train (Austral.), rocket, scooter, scout car, shandrydan, ship, single-decker (Brit.), skibob, sledge or (especially U.S. & Canad.) sled, sleigh, Sno-Cat (trademark), snowmobile, snow plough, space capsule, spacecraft, space probe, spaceship, space shuttle, sports car, stagecoach, steamroller, sulky, tandem, tank, tank engine or locomotive, tanker, tarantass, taxi, telega, three-wheeler, tipper truck or lorry, toboggan, tonga, tourer or (especially U.S.) touring car, traction engine, tractor, trail bike, trailer, train, tram, tramcar, or (U.S. & Canad.) streetcar or trolley car, travois, tricycle, troika, trolley, trolleybus, troop carrier, truck, tumbrel or tumbril, unicycle, van, wagon or waggon, wagonette or waggonette, wheelbarrow

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

سَيَّارَةمَرْكَبَه، عَرَبَه

vozidlo

køretøj

Fahrzeug Vehikel Gefährt Mittel

όχημα

vehículo

ajoneuvoliuotin

véhicule voiture bagnole

vozilo

jármű

farartæki

veicolo veicolo da trasporto carro mezzo veicolare

乗り物

차량

transporto priemonė

transporta līdzeklis

транспортное средство

vozidlo

vozilo

fordon

ยานพาหนะ

araç taşıt

xe cộ

车辆交通工具

vehicle

[ˈviːɪkl] N

1. (= form of transport) → vehículo m

2. (fig) (= means) → vehículo m, medio m, instrumento m (for para) the programme was a vehicle for promoting himself → el programa era un vehículo or medio or instrumento para promocionarse
they see the new constitution as a vehicle for change → ven la nueva constitución como un instrumento de cambio

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

vehicle

[ˈviːɪk^əl]

(= means of transport) → véhicule m

(= medium) → véhicule m
a vehicle for sth → le véhicule de qch

modif [crime] → lié(e) aux véhicules; [licensing, registration] → des véhicules vehicle emissionsvehicle emissions npl → émissions fpl des véhicules à moteur

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

vehicle

n → Fahrzeug nt; (Pharm) → Vehikel nt, → Trägersubstanz f; (Art) → Lösungsmittel nt; (fig: = medium) → Mittel nt, → Vehikel nt (geh); this paper is a vehicle of right-wing opinions → diese Zeitung ist ein Sprachrohr nt → der Rechten; language is the vehicle of thought → die Sprache ist das Medium des Denkens

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

vehicle

[ˈviːɪkl] n → veicolo (fig) → mezzo

vehicle

(ˈviəkl) noun

any means of transport on land, especially on wheels, eg a car, bus, bicycle etc.

vehicle

→ سَيَّارَة vozidlo køretøj Fahrzeug όχημα vehículo ajoneuvo véhicule vozilo veicolo 乗り物 차량 voertuig kjøretøy pojazd veículo транспортное средство fordon ยานพาหนะ araç xe cộ 车辆

ve·hi·cle

n. vehículo.

1. sustancia sin acción terapéutica que acompaña a un agente activo en una preparación medicinal;

2. agente de transmisión.

vehicle

n vehículo; (pharm) excipiente m

References in classic literature ?

Directly opposite to him came a strange one-horse vehicle, evidently rigged up by soldiers out of any available materials and looking like something between a cart, a cabriolet, and a caleche.

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His head came scarcely above the back of the little vehicle, his hands and body were motionless.

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On the completion of the Columbiad the public interest centered in the projectile itself, the vehicle which was destined to carry the three hardy adventurers into space.

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Fogg examined a curious vehicle, a kind of frame on two long beams, a little raised in front like the runners of a sledge, and upon which there was room for five or six persons.

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They followed the way till they reached the beginning of the ascent, on the crest of which the vehicle from Trantridge was to receive her, this limit having been fixed to save the horse the labour of the last slope.

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His lordship conducted the ladies into the vehicle, as he did likewise Mrs Honour, who, after many civilities, and more dear madams, at last yielded to the well-bred importunities of her sister Abigail, and submitted to be complimented with the first ride in the coach; in which indeed she would afterwards have been contented to have pursued her whole journey, had not her mistress, after several fruitless intimations, at length forced her to take her turn on horseback.

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On the third morning after their arrival, just as all the clocks in the city were striking nine individually, and somewhere about nine hundred and ninety-nine collectively, Sam was taking the air in George Yard, when a queer sort of fresh-painted vehicle drove up, out of which there jumped with great agility, throwing the reins to a stout man who sat beside him, a queer sort of gentleman, who seemed made for the vehicle, and the vehicle for him.

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The paper he crammed into the pocket of his light yellow dust-coat, and extended his hand as if to assist some one else from the vehicle. To the surprise of the two old ladies, however, the only thing which his open palm received was a violent slap, and a tall lady bounded unassisted out of the cab.

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The woman had paid but passing attention to the vehicle, merely noting that it discharged no passenger, but stood at the kerb with the motor running as though waiting for a fare from the residence before which it had stopped.

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Franklin's vehicle that day), and trying vainly to get the two artists away from their work.

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Larsan turned his head at the sound of a vehicle which had come from the chateau and reached the gate behind him.

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Dolly was embarrassed because after Sviazhsky's phrase about "this vehicle," she could not help feeling ashamed of the dirty old carriage in which Anna was sitting with her.