cab

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noun (1)

ˈkab  ˈkäb 

: an ancient Hebrew unit of capacity equal to about two quarts (2.2 liters)

cab

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noun (2)

ˈkab 

1

a(1)

: cabriolet

(2)

: a similar light closed carriage (such as a hansom)

b

: a carriage for hire

2

: taxicab

3

[short for cabin]

a

: the part of a locomotive that houses the engineer and operating controls

b

: a comparable shelter (as on a truck) housing operating controls

cab

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verb

cabbed; cabbing

intransitive verb

: to travel in a cab

cabbed back to the hotel

cab

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noun (3)

ˈkab 

often capitalized

: cabernet sauvignon

CAB

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abbreviation

Civil Aeronautics Board

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• hack
• taxi
• taxicab

Examples of cab in a Sentence

Noun (2)

called a cab to get back to the hotel

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Now, in a somewhat disorienting narrative reversal, Tarlow has come to Manhattan, just as twenty-five years ago those breathless Manhattanites spilled out of their yellow cabs into the wilds of Williamsburg. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2024

The second movie about the zany adventures of Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) finds its eccentric cab driver in a fresh holiday predicament: Santa Claus is in his back seat, mired in an existential crisis, having lost his joy for the season. —Sezín Devi Koehler, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2024

Verb

Some fans walked away from the stadium to grab an Uber or cab back to their hotels. —Bryan West, USA TODAY, 25 May 2024

Mansukhani, a designer in New York and a daughter of immigrants, said her uncle, Umesh Reghuram, wired money to cab drivers, vegetable peddlers and maids. —Dr. Divya Chhabra, ABC News, 10 May 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Hebrew qabh

Noun (2)

short for cabriolet

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1535, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1831, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1986, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cab

noun

ˈkab

1

a

: a light closed carriage (as a hansom)

b

: a carriage for hire

2

: taxicab

3

a

: the covered compartment for the engineer and the controls of a locomotive

b

: a similar compartment on a truck, tractor, or crane

Etymology

Noun

sense 1 from French cabriolet "a one-horse carriage"; sense 2 a shortened form of taxicab