What does cabbing mean?
Cabbing is an informal term for travelling by taxi or cab, typically used when describing how someone got from one place to another. It functions as a gerund derived from the verb 'to cab', which itself comes from 'cab', the shortened form of 'cabriolet' — a light, two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage popular in nineteenth-century London and Paris. In everyday speech, people say they are 'cabbing home', 'cabbing to work', or simply 'cabbing it', the last being a compact idiom in which 'it' stands for the journey. The word carries a casual, urban connotation and often implies a choice made for convenience, speed, or necessity, such as during bad weather or public transport disruption. While more idiomatic in British English than American English, where 'taking a cab' predominates, cabbing remains a vivid and economical way to describe hailing a ride through city streets.
noun (gerund of the verb 'to cab')The action of travelling by taxi or cab; the practice of taking a cab rather than another form of transport.
- The act of travelling by taxi or cab.
- The occupation of driving a cab (rare; usually expressed as 'driving a cab').
"After the tube strike was announced, cabbing home seemed like the only sensible option."
"We ended up cabbing across town because the last train had already gone."
"She prefers cabbing to the airport over navigating rush-hour traffic herself."
Every time you go cabbing, you're riding a descendant of the cabriolet — a light two-wheeled carriage named for its goat-like springy motion, from the Latin word for goat.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cabbing
Cabbing derives from 'cab', itself a nineteenth-century shortening of 'cabriolet', a French word for a light two-wheeled hired carriage. 'Cabriolet' traces back through French 'cabriole' to Latin 'caper' (or 'capreolus'), meaning a goat — a reference to the carriage's lively, bounding motion. When motor taxis replaced horse-drawn cabs, the verb 'to cab' transferred to the new vehicles, giving rise to the gerund 'cabbing'. Related words sharing this Latinate root include 'cabriolet' (now also applied to open-top cars), 'capriole' (a leaping movement in dressage), and 'caper' (a playful leap).
Related word forms
How cabbing is actually used
Informal and conversational in register; most common in British English, though understood in American English where 'taking a cab' is more typical as a full phrase. The contracted expression 'cabbing it' treats 'it' as the journey itself.
Easily confused with cabbing
Crabbing is the activity of catching crabs, while cabbing means travelling by taxi.
Capping means placing a cap on something or setting a limit, whereas cabbing refers to riding in a cab.