station wagon
66
2.9
- noun
- /ˈsteɪʃən ˈwæɡən/
- US
:
coche familiar
- After loading the groceries, we closed the rear door of the station wagon and drove home.
- a large station wagon
Picnics were taking place around parked cars up front, vans and VW bugs and station wagons and convertibles.
- Picnics were taking place around parked cars up front, vans and VW bugs and station wagons and convertibles.
- She had the station wagon that my dad had bought, so that was quite easy to do.
- It was a station wagon with four guys, our amps, the drum kit and maybe one change of clothes per person.
- So I was part of two station wagon loads of students who crawled out of Delaware, OH, made the way to Nashville.
- So he drove back up in the station wagon and came in the house and we were all very surprised to see him because we just had the, the wake and stuff.
- But with that, do with that, with the station wagon, man, you, your mother could put you in there.
Examples
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A used station wagon with three row seating.
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It was a station wagon with four guys, our amps, the drum kit and maybe one change of clothes per person.
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How much could you fit in the station wagon there? -
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I promised many times to sit in the back of the station wagon with them.
Fiction book (1991) -
I got a Lincoln station wagon back here that runs like a brand new car.
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My mom sat in the station wagon in our garage until the gas ran out.
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It's the station wagon in the driveway.
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See that Volvo station wagon over there?
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Tim's got a station wagon, so we can all fit into one car.
Fiction book (1990) -
The man looked inside the station wagon and nodded in satisfaction.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
93
1.4
A car with extra space behind the rear seats for cargo
A long car with extra space behind the seats and a rear door
A car with a long body and a door behind the seats for carrying luggage
A car with extra space at the back and a large rear door for luggage
A car with a long body and back door with extra space behind the back seat for bags or people
How Spacious
Surface Forms
Morphology
station + wagon
The element 'wagon' clearly signals a vehicle, so learners who know both words can infer that 'station wagon' refers to some kind of car; however, 'station' does not transparently indicate the specific form (long body with an extended rear cargo area) and the compound is conventionally lexicalized. Thus a B1 learner might guess it is a vehicle type but would not reliably derive the precise meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Station wagon may come from old cars that waited at the train station like a large wagon, ready to carry people's bags and goods to and from trains. That's why today station wagon means 'a car with a long body and extra space at the back'.