noun
trolley
noun
1
A small cart pushed by hand, used for carrying shopping, luggage, or food and drink.
"She wheeled the trolley up and down the supermarket aisles."
2
A streetcar or tram that runs on rails and draws power from an overhead line (chiefly US).
"Tourists rode the old trolley through the historic district."
How to Use Trolley
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA wheeled cart, or (in American English) a tram.
UK vs US
In British English a "trolley" usually means a shopping or luggage cart; in American English it more often means a streetcar/tram.
Common pairings
shopping trolley
trolley car
push a trolley
Word Forms
trolleyed past tense, trollied past tense, trolleys singular
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She wheeled the _____ up and down the supermarket aisles.
Etymology
From early-19th-century dialect (Suffolk), probably from "troll" ("to trundle, roll") plus the diminutive ending "-ey."