ˈcar pool N. Amer.
Also car-pool, carpool.
[f. car n.1 + pool n.3]
An arrangement whereby a group of people share their cars (to travel to work, take children to school, etc.); a car carrying members of a car pool; a group sharing cars in this way or the meeting-place of such a group. Cf. van pool s.v. van n.3 3.
| 1942 Reader's Digest Dec. 138, I don't believe I care for anything, thank you. I'm just in their car pool. 1943 McCall's Mag. Apr. 15 On a master map of the city car pools are plotted. 1959 A. Harrington Life in ‘Crystal Palace’ (1960) viii. 112, I look out of my picture-window to watch the late-arriving car-pools whirling up the long driveway. 1968 Mrs. L. B. Johnson White House Diary 18 Dec. (1970) 759, I always wondered how she managed to make 8 a.m. car pools. 1974 State (Columbia, S. Carolina) 1 Apr. 2-a/3 Special driving lanes and other plans favoring carpools are developing. 1986 Jrnl. (Fairfax Co., Va.) 28 May a15/6 Disputes have sometimes arisen over the number of people that constitute a car pool. |
Hence
ˈcar-pool,
ˈcarpool v. intr., to join a car pool; to drive or travel in a shared car,
esp. to work; also
trans., to drive (passengers,
esp. children) in a car pool; also
car-pooler,
car-pooling.
| 1962 National Rev. (U.S.) 22 May 361/2 You have to proceed to the consideration of the relative values of carpooling with large or small families. 1966 N.Y. Times 19 Apr. 46/1 There she was the other day, as unruffled as if her only thought were carpooling her two children to school. 1973 Sunday Bull. (Philadelphia) 7 Oct. (Parade Suppl.) 12 Car poolers tell us..that when they are not at the wheel.., they come to work relaxed. 1975 Atlantic Monthly Dec. 65 If we won't car-pool, and if we won't or can't use mass transportation, can we at least get more mileage from the gallon? 1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 1 July (Advt. Suppl.) 1/1 The number of cars on the road can also be reduced if more people could be encouraged to ‘triple-up’ and carpool to work. 1985 U.S.A. Today 18 Oct. a5/2 Gov. Lamm, Mayor Frederico Pena kicked off winter Better Air campaign stressing car-pooling, mass transit. |
| 1983 Mass Transit Apr. 24/1 The company subsidizes each vanpool rider $25 a month while allowing sliding subsidies for carpoolers. 1986 New Yorker 17 Mar. 86/2 Ollar ships with a crew of eight, most of whom carpool to work together in the morning. |