Meaning & use
people carrier
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A large car with three rows of seats, designed to carry several people, especially a family.
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a people carrier' or 'two people carriers'.
Patterns
- a people carrier
- drive a people carrier
They bought a people carrier because they have four children.
The people carrier has plenty of room for luggage.
We rented a people carrier for our road trip.
Word forms
| plural | people carriers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a seven-seat people carrier
- Their new seven-seat people carrier fits the whole family.
- hire a people carrier
- We hired a people carrier for the holiday.
- drive a people carrier
- She finds it easy to drive a people carrier.
Synonyms and how they differ
- minivan
- The usual American term for the same type of vehicle.
- MPV
- Short for 'multi-purpose vehicle', a more technical term used in brochures.
Word family
- carrier noun
- Something or someone that carries things, e.g., a baby carrier.
Commonly confused: people carrier or people mover?
people carrier vs people mover
A 'people mover' can mean a moving walkway or a type of vehicle, but it is less specific than 'people carrier'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'people carrier' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A people carrier is a large car for carrying several people, so option A fits. The other options confuse it with a mail carrier, a news carrier, or a person who carries things.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “people carrier”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.