1. a streetcar or trolley drawn by horses, used for public transportation in cities during the 19th and early 20th centuries
Usage: historical; chiefly North American

Examples

• In the 1880s, horsecars were the primary means of public transportation in most American cities.
• The horsecar lines expanded rapidly as urban populations grew.
• Passengers would board the horsecar at designated stops along the street.
• The smell of horses was a common complaint about riding the horsecar during summer.
• Electric streetcars eventually replaced horsecars in the early 1900s.
• Museums now display restored horsecars as examples of 19th-century transportation technology.