Definition

1. Noun:

   • A wheeled vehicle, typically with two wheels, that is designed to be pushed or pulled by a person or animal to transport goods or materials.
   • A heavy open wagon, usually with two wheels, drawn by an animal such as a horse or ox.

2. Verb:

   • To transport or carry something in a cart.
   • To haul or draw something slowly or heavily, often implying effort.

Examples

• Noun:

  • The farmer loaded hay onto the wooden cart.
  • At the market, vendors use carts to display their fruits and vegetables.

• Verb:

  • We had to cart all the boxes up to the attic.
  • The workers carted the debris away from the construction site.

Advanced Usage

• "To put the cart before the horse": To do things in the wrong order; to confuse cause and effect.
  • Planning the celebration before we win the contract is putting the cart before the horse.

Variants and Related Words

• Handcart (n): A small cart pushed or pulled by hand.
• Pushcart (n): A cart, often used by street vendors, that is pushed by a person.
• Cartwheel (n): A sideways circular movement of the body, or a wheel of a cart.
• Cartage (n): The act or cost of transporting goods by cart.

Synonyms

• Wagon: A four-wheeled vehicle for transporting heavy loads.
• Dray: A low, strong cart without sides, used for heavy loads.
• Trolley: A wheeled vehicle or basket, often used in supermarkets.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Cart off: To remove something or someone, often in a rough or unceremonious way.
  • The security guards carted off the protesters.
• Cart around: To carry something from place to place, often something cumbersome.
  • I'm tired of carting these books around all day.

Related Idioms

• In the cart: (British, informal) In a difficult or awkward situation.
  • His mistake left the whole project in the cart.

Noun

1. wheeled vehicle that can be pushed by a person; may have one or two or four wheels
   • he used a handcart to carry the rocks away
   • their pushcart was piled high with groceries
2. a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal

Verb

1. transport something in a cart
2. draw slowly or heavily
   • haul stones
   • haul nets