dolly

1 of 2

noun

dol·​ly ˈdä-lē How to pronounce dolly (audio)
ˈdȯ-lē
plural dollies
1
: doll
2
: a wooden-pronged instrument for beating and stirring clothes in the process of washing them in a tub
3
: a compact narrow-gauge railroad locomotive for moving construction trains and for switching
4
a
: a platform on a roller or on wheels or casters for moving heavy objects
b
: a wheeled platform for a television or movie camera

dolly

2 of 2

verb

dollied; dollying

transitive verb

1
: to treat with a dolly
2
: to move or convey on a dolly

intransitive verb

: to move a movie or television camera about on a dolly while shooting a scene
also, of a camera : to be moved on a dolly

Examples of dolly in a Sentence

Noun We'll need a dolly to move the refrigerator. my kid sister was always playing with her dollies
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Below the hole in the ceiling were carts and two-wheeled dollies. Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 31 July 2024 The building will break from the basement foundation before it’s placed on large hydraulic dollies to move to the new location. Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2024 At 3:45, Johnson loads up a dolly with the first two stones, wheels them down a wooden ramp, wiggles them off and leans them against wooden pallets that have been placed on the side of a building. Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 4 July 2024 Fifteen crew members — twice as many as in a typical Mobile Unit production — were trundling dollies, road boxes and ladders from a library loading dock toward the stage. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 4 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for dolly 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1878, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dolly was in 1790

Dictionary Entries Near dolly

Cite this Entry

“Dolly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dolly. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

dolly

noun
ˈdäl-ē,
ˈdȯ-lē
plural dollies
1
2
: a platform on a roller or on wheels for moving heavy objects
especially : a wheeled platform for a television or motion-picture camera

More from Merriam-Webster on dolly

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!