cabriolet

IPA/ˈkæbriəʊleɪ/
KK[kˌæbriolˈe]IPA/ˈkæbriəʊleɪ/

cabriolet — noun

1. a car whose roof can be opened or folded away so the people inside can ride in t

1.nounC1
Definition

a car whose roof can be opened or folded away so the people inside can ride in the open air

Example

Ezra rented a silver cabriolet for the weekend trip along the coast.

rent a cabriolet for a trip

On warm evenings, Renata likes driving her cabriolet with the roof down.

drive with the roof down

Common collocations
  • silver cabriolet
  • drive a cabriolet
  • cabriolet roof
  • soft-top cabriolet
Synonyms
  • convertible

    the usual everyday word for this kind of car

  • roadster

    usually a smaller, sportier open car, often with two seats

  • drop-top

    informal term, especially in conversation

  • open-top car

    plain descriptive phrase rather than a fixed model term

Antonyms
  • hardtop

    a car with a fixed roof that does not fold away

Usage Note

Usually seen in car reviews, sales language, or model names. Unlike "roadster", it points to the fold-back roof, not necessarily to a small sporty body.

Common Mistakes

We opened the cabriolet and drove home.
We put the roof down on the cabriolet and drove home.
You lower the roof or top, not the whole car.

2. a small carriage pulled by a horse, with two wheels and a hood that can be raise

2.nounC2
Definition

a small carriage pulled by a horse, with two wheels and a hood that can be raised or lowered

Example

In the old painting, Mayumi rides in a cabriolet pulled by a white horse.

ride in a horse-drawn cabriolet

The guide pointed out a restored cabriolet in the museum's transport hall.

restored cabriolet in a museum

Common collocations
  • horse-drawn cabriolet
  • hire a cabriolet
  • ride in a cabriolet
  • restored cabriolet
Synonyms
  • carriage

    broader and more general, with no promise of this exact design

  • buggy

    often lighter and more informal in style, sometimes open

  • chaise

    an old-fashioned term for a light carriage, often used in historical contexts

Usage Note

Mainly appears in historical writing, museum labels, and older novels. In modern everyday English, people usually say "carriage" unless the exact vehicle type matters.

Common Mistakes

She started the cabriolet and drove to the market.
She climbed into the cabriolet, and the driver took her to the market.
In this older sense, it is pulled by a horse, not powered by a motor.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

"Convertible" is the normal everyday word for a car with a roof that opens. "Cabriolet" is more formal and is especially common in brochures, model names, and European car writing, where it can sound more stylish. A "roadster" usually suggests a smaller, sportier open car, often with two seats, so not every cabriolet is a roadster. A "coupe" normally has a fixed roof, although companies sometimes sell a convertible version of a coupe. "Hardtop" is useful when you want to contrast an open-roof model with one whose roof stays fixed. A dealer may advertise a four-seat cabriolet, but in casual speech most people would simply say convertible.

cabriolet ↗convertible ↗roadstercoupe ↗hardtop ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cabriolet roof
  • cabriolet hood

Phrases

  • ride in a cabriolet

Prepositions

  • in a cabriolet

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English from French cabriolet in the eighteenth century, first naming a light horse-drawn carriage. The French word is connected with cabriole, meaning a leap or playful jump, probably because the vehicle moved with a lively bouncing motion. In the twentieth century, English extended the word to a car whose roof folds back, keeping the idea of an open ride.

First known use

1760

1760, in the meaning defined at sense 1