caravan
caravan — noun
1. a wheeled vehicle with beds, a small kitchen, and sometimes a toilet area, desig
a wheeled vehicle with beds, a small kitchen, and sometimes a toilet area, designed to be pulled behind a car and used for holidays or short trips away from home.
The Nguyen family spent two weeks in their caravan beside a lake in Wales.
Yusuf hitched the caravan to his car before setting off for the coast.
collocation: hitch a caravan to / unhitch a caravan
Many retired couples buy a caravan and travel around Europe for months at a time.
Leila parked the caravan on a level patch of grass near the campsite office.
Renting a caravan for a week at the seaside costs less than a hotel.
- camper van
a motor vehicle with living quarters built in, not towed
- travel trailer
American English term for the same type of towed holiday vehicle
文法句型
caravan + verb (be parked, be hitched up)
in/with/into a caravan
用法筆記
In British English this is the most common meaning of 'caravan'. In American English the same type of vehicle is usually called a 'travel trailer' or 'camper'.
常見錯誤
2. a large wooden wagon with a rounded cloth roof and painted decorations, drawn by
a large wooden wagon with a rounded cloth roof and painted decorations, drawn by a single horse and used as a mobile home by travelling communities such as the Romani people.
At the fair, children climbed into a replica of an old Romani caravan painted bright red and gold.
collocation: painted caravan
The museum's collection includes a horse-drawn caravan from the 1890s with wooden wheels.
modifier: horse-drawn caravan
Hana's great-grandparents crossed the country in a covered caravan, selling goods at village markets.
Restoring an old wooden caravan takes skill in both carpentry and traditional painting.
- vardo
the specific Romani term for a horse-drawn living wagon
- covered wagon
a broader term for any wagon with a canvas cover, including those used by American settlers
- wagon
a simpler, less specific term
文法句型
pull/push + a caravan
live in + a caravan
用法筆記
This sense primarily refers to the traditional Romani (Gypsy) vardo — a type of living wagon. It is now mostly encountered in historical contexts, museums, or festival displays.
3. a long line of people, pack animals, or vehicles travelling together across a de
a long line of people, pack animals, or vehicles travelling together across a desert or other dangerous region for mutual safety and company.
A caravan of camels carrying salt and spices crossed the Sahara for several weeks.
pattern: a caravan of + animals/people
Merchants joined the caravan so that bandits would not attack them on the journey.
The Silk Road was famous for caravans moving silk and porcelain between China and Europe.
Each morning the caravan leader decided when to break camp and begin the day's march.
Without the caravan's protection, a lone traveller would face great risk in the desert.
- convoy
used for vehicles travelling together for protection, often military
- procession
a line of people or vehicles, usually for a ceremony rather than safety
- camel train
a specific type of caravan using camels
文法句型
a caravan of + plural noun (merchants, camels, travellers)
用法筆記
This sense can also be used more broadly for any group of vehicles travelling together in a line (e.g. 'a caravan of trucks'), though the desert-and-camels image remains the most typical context.
常見錯誤
caravan — verb
1. to take a holiday travelling from place to place with a towed caravan, staying a
to take a holiday travelling from place to place with a towed caravan, staying at campsites or roadside stops along the way.
The Sullivan family caravanned across France every summer when the children were young.
Diego and Aiko plan to caravan around the Scottish Highlands next spring.
pattern: caravan around / across / through [region]
More people are choosing to caravan instead of booking package holidays.
Priya's parents have been caravanning in New Zealand for the past three months.
- go camping (with a caravan)
a more general expression; caravanning is a specific type of camping
- tour by caravan
a phrasal alternative that is more widely understood
文法句型
go caravanning
caravan + preposition (across, around, through)
用法筆記
The verb 'caravan' is much less common than the noun. Speakers and writers more often use the gerund 'caravanning' or phrases such as 'go caravanning' or 'travel by caravan'.