taxi-cab

A taxi-cab waits for passengers at the train station.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A motor vehicle licensed to transport passengers in return for payment of a fare: "taxi-cab" refers to a car that can be hired, typically with a meter to calculate the cost of the journey. It is often called a "taxi" or "cab" for short.

Usage Examples

• (We flagged down a licensed vehicle to travel to our accommodation.)
• (The person operating the hired car was familiar with the best path.)
• (She completed the payment and exited the hired vehicle.)

Advanced Usage

• "to call a taxi-cab": to request a taxi-cab to come to a location.

  • I'll call a taxi-cab to pick us up after dinner. (I will arrange for a hired car to arrive.)

• "taxi-cab rank": a designated place where taxi-cabs wait for passengers.

  • There is a taxi-cab rank near the train station. (A line of waiting hired cars is located there.)

Variants and Related Words

• Taxi (n, abbreviation): a shortened form of "taxi-cab", commonly used in everyday speech.

  • We took a taxi to the museum. (We used a hired car.)

• Cab (n, abbreviation): another shortened form of "taxi-cab", often used informally.

  • He jumped into a cab to avoid the rain. (He entered a hired vehicle.)

• Taxicab (n, alternative spelling): a single-word variant of "taxi-cab" with the same meaning.

  • The taxicab waited outside the restaurant. (The hired car paused at the entrance.)

Synonyms

• Hackney carriage: a formal term for a taxi-cab, especially in British English.
• Minicab: a type of taxi-cab that must be pre-booked (not hailed on the street).

Related Idioms

• "Take a cab": to use a taxi-cab as a mode of transport.

  • It's too far to walk; let's take a cab. (We should hire a taxi-cab.)

• "Cab fare": the money paid for a journey in a taxi-cab.

  • He forgot his wallet and couldn't pay the cab fare. (He lacked the payment for the hired car ride.)