Word.ws English Dictionary

charabanc

/ˈʃæ.ɹə.bæŋ(k)/

charabanc noun: a horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof.

charabanc: a horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof
Image: J Gilfoy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

charabanc (plural charabancs)

  1. (UK, historical) A horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof.
    • A little further on, to the right, was a large garage, where the charabancs stood, half in and half out of the yard.1931, Francis Beeding, “2/2”, in Death Walks in Eastrepps
    • And full of colored dreams / Deep inside a rainbow / Lived Happiness Stan / In a small Victorian charabanc1968, “Happiness Stan”, in Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, performed by Small Faces
    Synonyms:
    chara
  2. (UK, dated) A bus, especially one hired by groups for pleasure outings, what was later called a coach.
    • Oh shit, there goes the charabanc!
      Looks like I'm gonna be stuck here the whole summer1977, “Peaches”, performed by the Stranglers
    • Mum had worked there as a teenager and once recalled her duty of having to meet the charabancs that brought the well-heeled to the baths from Droitwich station before the war.2023 February 22, “Stop & Examine”, in RAIL, number 977, page 71
  3. (UK, informal) A vehicle that is slow, overcrowded, or otherwise undesirable.
    • We return to the charabanc of a car to find a swarm of children dancing round it, clambering up the back, jumping on the step; the driver sleeps peacefully at the wheel, oblivious of their shrieks.1951, Ethel Mannin, South to Samarkand, page 109
    • Just as I'm thinking my plan has failed an old charabanc of a vehicle slows down and starts hooting.2011, Fi Glover, Travels With My Radio: I Am An Oil Tanker
  4. An elaborate production or endeavor involving many people or things.
    • For all their lean and hungry look, and for all they wear the simplest of dhotis around their loins, they usually have clever accomplices in the crowd, and a whole charabanc full of invisible wires and concealed cabinets.2013, David Ovason, The Zelator
    • He comes along all dressed up in the real deal costume, all the sequins and rhinestone, the heavyweight boxing belt, the cape, the whole charabanc, you know?2013, R.J. Ellory, The R. J. Ellory Collection

Verb

charabanc (third-person singular simple present charabancs, present participle charabancing, simple past and past participle charabanced)

  1. (ambitransitive, rare) To travel or convey by charabanc.

Examples of charabanc in a sentence

  • The cumbersome though finely painted charabanc of the late James style is pulled swaying along by a frisky pony of a plot farcical and romantic.2006 Aug 7 & 14, John Updike, “Late Works”, in The New Yorker, page 70:
  • The whole charabanc emitted a strong smell of hot stew, which my mum remembers as the most heavenly thing she had ever smelt.2022, Jacques Peretti, Little Bird of Auschwitz:
  • Schuman's European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, which set the whole charabanc rolling, operated in the interests of producers.2014, Dennis Skinner, Kevin Maguire, Sailing Close to the Wind: Reminiscences:

Synonyms of charabanc

Forms of charabanc

Noun
pluralcharabancs
alternative form (obsolete)char-à-banc
Verb
third-person singular presentcharabancs
present participlecharabancing
past participlecharabanced
pastcharabanced

Origin of charabanc

Borrowed from French char-à-bancs (literally “carriage with benches”).

Questions about charabanc

What does charabanc mean?
Charabanc means a horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof.
How do you use charabanc in a sentence?
The cumbersome though finely painted charabanc of the late James style is pulled swaying along by a frisky pony of a plot farcical and romantic.
What part of speech is charabanc?
Charabanc can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce charabanc?
Charabanc is pronounced /ˈʃæ.ɹə.bæŋ(k)/ (UK).
What is the plural of charabanc?
The plural of charabanc is charabancs.

Words near charabanc in the dictionary

  1. char-woman
  2. char-women
  3. char-à-banc
  4. char-à-bancs
  5. chara
  6. charabanc
  7. charabanced
  8. charabancer
  9. charabancers
  10. charabancing
  11. charabancs

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: charabanc (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-charabanc.wav.

Cite this entry: “charabanc.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/charabanc. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.