Cab Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms cab 1 American [kab] / kæb /

noun

1. a taxicab.

   Synonyms: jitney, hackney, hack

2. any of various horse-drawn vehicles, as a hansom or brougham, especially one for public hire.

   Synonyms: jitney, hackney, hack

3. the covered or enclosed part of a locomotive, truck, crane, etc., where the operator sits.

4. the glass-enclosed area of an airport control tower in which the controllers are stationed.

verb (used without object)

cabbed, cabbing

1. to ride in a taxicab or horse-drawn cab.

   They cabbed to the theater.

cab 2 American [kab] / kæb / Or kab

noun

1. an ancient Hebrew measure equal to about two quarts.

cab 3 American [kab] / kæb /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. cabbage.

CAB 4 American Or C.A.B.

1. Civil Aeronautics Board.

cab 1 British / kæb /

noun

1. 1. a taxi

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cab rank

2. the enclosed compartment of a lorry, locomotive, crane, etc, from which it is driven or operated

3. (formerly) a light horse-drawn vehicle used for public hire

4. informal the first person, etc, to do or take advantage of something

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 CAB 2 British

abbreviation

1. (in Britain) Citizens' Advice Bureau

2. (in the US) Civil Aeronautics Board

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 cab 3 British / kæb /

noun

1. an ancient Hebrew measure equal to about 2.3 litres (4 pints)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cab1

First recorded in 1640–50; short for cabriolet

Origin of cab2

First recorded in 1525–35; from Hebrew qabh

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bradshaw had travelled home that night with a friend and two girls in a cab, but their accounts of where he had been dropped off differed.

From BBC

She shakes her whole body, until the cab of the truck trembles with her.

From Literature

Gibbs, the doorman across the street at Claridge’s Hotel, watches as we exit the cab and approach our building.

From Literature

When I open the door, the cab smells of lemons, and the rubber floor mats are so clean I wonder if I should take my shoes off before climbing in.

From Literature

Since starting the partnership, several technical and operational milestones have been achieved, including the system’s ability to perform emergency maneuvers with no driver in the cab and without any remote intervention, they said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• carriage
• taxi
• taxicab

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.