Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A two-wheeled covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passenger compartment.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A low-hung two-wheeled hackney-carriage or cabriolet much used in the large towns of Great Britain, and recently introduced in some cities of the United States.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • A light, low, two-wheeled covered carriage with the driver's seat elevated behind, the reins being passed over the top.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A Hansom cab; a carriage

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Joseph Aloysius Hansom, (1803–1882), British architect.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word hansom.

Examples

  • When he had lighted it he tipped the porter, and strolled back to the entrance, on the chance of finding the carriage still there, but it had gone, and he called a hansom, paused a moment with his foot on the step, then finally directed the man to drive to the Fraylings '.

    The Heavenly Twins Madame Sarah Grand

  • Finding myself in want of a particular Gazetteer which was not to be found in the office, and being in no mood to take a clerk, however uncritical, into my confidence, I called a hansom and drove straight to the Museum; where, having ensconced myself in the reading-room with the work in question, I prepared to devote a dusty and laborious morning to the service of State.

    The Right Stuff Some Episodes in the Career of a North Briton Ian Hay 1914

  • You think a dashing, irresponsible hansom is more in keeping with the Factory Girls 'Club or some giddy Whitechapel frivolity!'

    The Convert 1907

  • Going on the streets he walked until exhausted, then he called a hansom and was driven to his club.

    A Girl of the Limberlost 1909

  • They walked down the one flight of stairs together, their footsteps echoing up through the empty house; out on the pavement he called a hansom, held his arm across the wheel as she stepped in; turned to the cabby, gave him his fare, told him Waterloo Station; then he leant across the step of the cab and held out his hand.

    Sally Bishop A Romance 1906

  • So I called a hansom, and she sank back in a corner with a little sigh of relief.

    The Master Mummer 1906

  • I called a hansom outside and drove at once to Blenheim House, the temporary residence of the Archduchess and her suite.

    The Master Mummer 1906

  • She called a hansom, drove to a post-office, and sent a telegram:

    The Country House John Galsworthy 1900

  • She called a hansom, drove to a post-office, and sent a telegram:

    Complete Project Gutenberg John Galsworthy Works John Galsworthy 1900

  • He started back to the club, but it was so hot that he thought he would faint before he got there; so he called a hansom, on the principle that it was cheaper to ride and keep well than to walk and have a sunstroke.

    Van Bibber and Others Richard Harding Davis 1890

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.