trolley car
2
3.8
- noun
- /ˈtrɑːli kɑːr/
- US
:
tranvía
- The old trolley car rattled along the tracks, filled with commuters enjoying their ride.
- ride the trolley car
- trolley cars run
- hit by a trolley car
And I said, OK, I can't stop the trolley car, but I do have a switch next to me.
- And I said, OK, I can't stop the trolley car, but I do have a switch next to me.
Examples
-
Yes, you may take a trolley car.
-
It's like being on a trolley car or bus.
Academic text (2009) -
I'm getting off the trolley car right at this corner.
-
8:00 PM: Finally, time to head home via the trolley car system that runs throughout the city.
Blog text (10) -
A bell rings loudly and the trolley car starts to move!
Fiction book (1998) -
The trolley car reverses.
Fiction book (1998) -
Magnus stood at the bottom of the hill where trolley cars came clanging down to their turnaround.
Fiction book (1992) -
She went home with her friend Julia on the trolley car; they had been to see the baby bears at the zoo; they came home and ate supper.
Fiction book (2000) -
We boarded the trolley car to enjoy a scenic tour of the city streets.
-
As the trolley car approached the station, passengers prepared to disembark.
Synonyms
32
3.0
A vehicle that runs on tracks in city streets and carries people
32
2.5
A rail vehicle that uses electricity to carry people in a city
26
1.3
A vehicle like a small train that runs on tracks in a city or mine
1
3.4
An electric car that runs on city tracks to carry people
How Big
∞
1.0
- US
2
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning ('an electrically powered rail vehicle for city streets') is directly and predictably composed from 'trolley' (an electrically powered vehicle on city rails) and 'car' (a vehicle), following a straightforward noun+noun compounding pattern. This is a literal, cross-linguistically common naming pattern for vehicles, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun trolley car comes from the small wheel on a long pole that touched the electric wire above the street and brought power to the vehicle. That small wheel was called a trolley, so the whole vehicle became known as a trolley car, which is why it means 'a city rail vehicle powered by electricity'.