noun
caboose
kuh-BOOSE/kəˈbuːs/
The crew car at the rear of a freight train.
A red caboose follows the freight cars at the train's rear.
Etymology
The ancestor named a wooden cabin on a ship’s deck, and English caboose first meant a ship’s cookhouse. The word later came to name the railroad car used by the conductor, brakemen, and other crew.
In context
a conductor and flagman in the caboose.
More examples
- The conductor watched the track from the caboose.
- The child called the last wagon in her toy train its caboose.
- He jokingly told his slow friend to move his caboose.
Forms
caboose · cabooses
Similar words
- boxcar
- Carries freight, while a caboose traditionally accommodates train crew.