(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a machine such as a car, bus, or truck which has an engine and is used to carry people from place to place.
...a ~ which was somewhere between a tractor and a truck.
N-COUNT
2.
You can use ~ to refer to something that you use in order to achieve a particular purpose.
Her art became a ~ for her political beliefs...
= medium
N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N for n