I. tax ‧ i 1 S3 /ˈtæksi/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1900-2000 ; Origin: taxicab ]
a car and driver that you pay to take you somewhere SYN cab :
They sent me home in a taxi.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ take/get a taxi
We took a taxi to the hotel.
▪ go/come/arrive by taxi
I went back home by taxi.
▪ hail a taxi (=wave or call to a taxi to stop for you to get in)
I rushed outside and hailed a taxi.
▪ phone for/call a taxi (=telephone for a taxi to come)
Can you phone for a taxi and I'll get our coats.
▪ call somebody a taxi (=telephone for a taxi to come for someone else)
Call me a taxi, would you?
▪ get into/out of a taxi
He got into a taxi outside the station.
■ taxi + NOUN
▪ a taxi ride
The centre of town is a five minute taxi ride away.
▪ a taxi fare
She couldn't afford the £18 taxi fare.
▪ a taxi driver
He paid the taxi driver and got out.
▪ a taxi service
We operate a taxi service to and from the airport.
▪ a taxi rank British English , a taxi stand American English (=a place where taxis wait for customers)
There's a taxi rank just outside the hotel.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ' get on a taxi '. Say get in a taxi .
II. taxi 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle taxied , present participle taxiing , third person singular taxis or taxies ) [intransitive]
if a plane taxis, it moves along the ground before taking off or after landing:
The plane taxied to a halt.