I. ˈwagən, ˈwaig- sometimes ˈwaag- or -g ə ŋ noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: earlier wagan, wagen, waghen, from Dutch wagen, from Middle Dutch — more at wain
1.
a. : a heavy four-wheel usually uncovered vehicle designed especially for transporting bulky commodities and drawn originally by animals
ox wagon
but now often by a motor vehicle (as a tractor)
freight wagon
farm wagon
wagon road
— see covered wagon ; compare cart , dray , van , wain
b. : a similar but lighter typically horse-drawn vehicle for transporting goods or passengers — see spring wagon
c. : a four-wheeled cart, trailer, or powered vehicle for hauling men (as a fire-fighting squad, a police detail, or prisoners) or equipment
hose wagon
searchlight wagon
sheriff's wagon
specifically : patrol wagon
call the wagon
2. Britain : a vehicle for transporting goods on a railway corresponding in general to the American freight car but usually of much smaller capacity — compare van III 2
3. : a cart, trailer, motortruck, or small wheeled cabin used (as on the street or by a traveling show) especially to dispense foods or other articles
hot dog wagon
ice-cream wagon
popcorn wagon
ticket wagon
book wagon
4. : coaster wagon
5. : a tool used by goldbeaters and others to cut and trim gold leaf and formed like a miniature sledge with runners of malacca reed that form the cutting edges
6. : dinner wagon
the waiter appeared … with his wagon of hors d'oeuvres — Gwethalyn Graham
7. : a delivery truck
bread wagon
milk wagon
8. : station wagon
9. : a low sliding or rolling platform used for the quick shifting of scenes on a theater stage — see wagon stage
10. : a large earth-moving trailer with a dump body
•
- off the wagon
- on the wagon
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
: to travel or transport goods by wagon
like wagoning on smooth, silent wheels across a roadless prairie — S.H.Adams
transitive verb
: to transport (goods) by wagon