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vehicle Definition

ve·hi·cle (ə kəl, vēhik′əl)

noun

  1. any device or contrivance for carrying or conveying persons or objects, esp. over land or in space, as an automobile, bicycle, sled, or spacecraft
  2. a means by which thoughts are expressed or made known music as the vehicle for one's ideas
  3. in a metaphor, that word or term whose usual, literal meaning is applied in a figurative, nonliteral way to the tenor (sense ) in “all the world's a stage”, “world” is the tenor and “stage” is the vehicle
  4. a play, film, etc. thought of as a means of communication or as a means of presenting a specified actor or company
  5. Painting a liquid, as water or oil, with which pigments are mixed for use
  6. Pharmacy a substance, as a syrup, in which medicines are given

Etymology: Fr véhicule < L vehiculum, carriage < vehere, to carry: see way

vehicle Synonyms

vehicle

n.

  1. A conveyance

    transportation, transport, carrier, wheels*.

    Vehicles include: carriage, buggy, wagon, sleigh, cart, motor car, bus, jeep, automobile, truck, tractor, tank, station wagon, van, cablecar, train, subway, minivan, limousine, limo*, streetcar, tram, trolley, bicycle, airplane, helicopter, shuttle, monorail, motorcycle, railroad car, taxicab, cab, hack, taxi.

  2. Means of expression

    organ, channel, agency; see means 1, medium 2.

vehicle Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • abandon: In the year 2003/2004, £ 20,000 was spent by the council in removing abandoned vehicles.
  • propel: The cleanest alternative fuel vehicles ( band 4 as defined by the Powershift Register, www.powershift.org.uk ). Electrically propelled vehicles.
  • motorise: The aim of the project was to enhance the pupils ' 3-D drawing skills through designing and creating motorized toy vehicles.
  • tow: Caravans and trailers: Towing vehicles are required to have two external mirrors.

Adjective modifier

  • armored: However, without fuel for their armored vehicles, any success in the air was meaningless.
  • abandoned: Abandoned vehicles are dealt with by the council, however reports are regularly made to the police.
  • 4x4: When changing tires on a 4x4 vehicle there are a number of important things to consider.
  • electric: An electric vehicle ( EV ) site with a page of links to electric boating pages.
  • heavy: First, a heavy vehicle crashed through the road at the corner of the main entrance to the Barn.
  • unmanned: Air platforms are defined as any aircraft, helicopter or unmanned air vehicle.

Modifies a noun

  • excise: NHS vehicles that are exempt from vehicle excise duty.
  • fleet: They needed a Balance of Investment study to identify the most cost-effective mix in the future support vehicle fleet.
  • crime: The Prime Minister has set a target for a 30 per cent reduction in vehicle crime by March 2004.
  • tracking: Quicken 2002 Deluxe and Business adds functions for small business such as vehicle mileage tracking and accounts payable.
  • kilometer: Average time lost per vehicle km should be calculated by dividing total time lost by total vehicle kilometers.

Noun used with modifier

  • motor: At the center of the country's motor vehicle manufacturing industry.
  • hire: Home Living Getting around Taxis and private hire vehicles Taxis and private hire vehicles We license and control the Portsmouth taxi fleet.
  • off-road: For example, one of our clients who had always loved the outdoors received funds for an adapted off-road vehicle.
  • emergency: If you are in a traffic accident, emergency vehicles can find you easily to administer assistance.
  • utility: But the popularity of four-wheel drive " sports utility vehicles " is hampering efforts to cut air pollution on Britain's roads.
vehicle Quotes

No one can read a poem unless he realises that it is a physical object as well as an abstract vehicle for conveying ideas. A poem has a material existence like a piece of music or sculpture or a plate of meat.

—MacBeth, George Mann

   We agreed that the novel is absolutely the only vehicle for the thought of our day.

—Ford, Ford Madox originally Ford Hermann Hueffer

Browse dictionary entries near vehicle

  1. vehement
  2. vehemence
  3. veggie
  4. vegetative
  5. vegetation
  6. vegetate
  7. vegetarianism
  8. vegetarian
  9. vegetal
  10. vegetable wax
  1. vehicular
  2. Veii
  3. veil
  4. veiled
  5. veiling
  6. vein
  7. veined
  8. veining
  9. veinlet
  10. veinstone