What does taxicab mean?
A taxicab is a motor vehicle that carries paying passengers, normally with a driver and often with a meter that calculates the fare. The word is a formal or neutral term, while “taxi” and “cab” are more conversational and common in everyday speech. Taxicabs are especially associated with urban travel, hotel and station transport, and taxi ranks, although they can be booked in advance or called through an app. In legal and regulatory language, “taxicab” may distinguish a licensed hire vehicle carrying passengers from private cars used for ordinary personal transport. The term is also useful when precision is needed: it identifies both the vehicle and the passenger service it provides, rather than merely referring to a car or to the act of being driven. Although the phrase sounds old-fashioned to some speakers, it remains standard in formal English and is widely understood in both British and American usage.
nounA motor vehicle, usually with a driver, that carries passengers for hire. In many places, its fare is calculated by a taximeter.
- A car or other motor vehicle with a driver, available to carry passengers for hire, often with the fare calculated by a meter.
"They took a taxicab from the hotel to the station."
"A taxicab was waiting outside the restaurant."
"The museum offers a reduced rate for visitors arriving by taxicab."
The regular plural adds “-s”; “taxis” is not used as the plural of “taxicab.”
"Several taxicabs were waiting outside the hotel."
“Taxicab” is a piece of linguistic history on wheels: it combines the shortened “taxi,” itself associated with fare measurement, with the everyday word “cab.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does taxicab come from?
“Taxicab” combines “taxi” and “cab.” The shorter word “taxi” was created in the early 20th century by shortening “taximeter,” the instrument used to calculate a vehicle's fare, while “cab” is itself a shortened form of “cabriolet.” The compound “taxicab” emerged as motor vehicles began to provide organized passenger transport.
Related word forms
How taxicab is actually used
“Taxicab” is formal and comparatively uncommon in everyday speech, especially in American English, where “taxi” and “cab” are more frequent. It is standard in official, legal, and transport contexts.
Easily confused with taxicab
A taxicab is the vehicle that carries passengers, whereas a taximeter is the device that measures the fare charged.