noun
caboose
kuh-BOOS
Caboose (noun) means the last car on a freight train, once used as sleeping and cooking quarters for the crew. Example: “Kids waved as the red caboose rattled past.”
noun
1
The last car on a freight train, once used as sleeping and cooking quarters for the crew.
"Kids waved as the red caboose rattled past."
2
(informal, humorous) A youngest child born well after the others; also, slang for the buttocks.
"Jimmy was seven and had just finished first grade, so that made Nancy our caboose baby — our bonus child — our swan song."
— Harriet Wallace Rose, Something's Wrong with My Child! (1987)
"Their caboose came along ten years after her older siblings."
""Caboose" children, the late-born last offspring in the family, didn't suffer from this as much."
— Growing Child Research Review - Volumes 5-7 (1987)
"After looking back on her own experience, she thought of some ways parents could help ease the transition for their caboose kid."
— Beth K. Vogt, Baby Changes Everything (2007)
How to use caboose
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe trailing car of a freight train; informally, a last-born child or, slangily, the backside.
Common pairings
red caboose
the family caboose
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Word forms
- Plural
- cabooses, cabeese, caboosen
Fill the gap
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Kids waved as the red _____ rattled past.
Etymology
From Dutch kabuis/kombuis ("ship's galley"), which also gave German Low German Kabüüs — the train sense grew from the idea of a small onboard kitchen.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for caboose
See all rhymes for caboose →Frequently asked questions
What does “caboose” mean?
The word “caboose” means the last car on a freight train, once used as sleeping and cooking quarters for the crew. In plain terms, the trailing car of a freight train; informally, a last-born child or, slangily, the backside.
How do you pronounce “caboose”?
“Caboose” is pronounced kuh-BOOS (/kəˈbuːs/ in IPA).
How do you use “caboose” in a sentence?
Here is “caboose” used in a sentence: “Kids waved as the red caboose rattled past.”
What part of speech is “caboose”?
“Caboose” is a noun.
Where does the word “caboose” come from?
The word “caboose” comes from German. From Dutch kabuis/kombuis ("ship's galley"), which also gave German Low German Kabüüs — the train sense grew from the idea of a small onboard kitchen.
How many meanings does “caboose” have?
“Caboose” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the last car on a freight train, once used as sleeping and cooking quarters for the crew.
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