vehicle: Meaning and Definition of

ve•hi•cle

1. any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport: a motor vehicle; space vehicles.
2. a conveyance moving on wheels, runners, tracks, or the like, as a cart, sled, automobile, or tractor.
3. a means of transmission or passage: Air is the vehicle of sound.
4. a carrier, as of infection.
5. a medium of communication, expression, or display: The novel is a fitting vehicle for his talents. Language is the vehicle of thought.
6. a play, screenplay, or the like, having a role suited to the talents of and often written for a specific performer.
7. a means of accomplishing a purpose: College is a vehicle for success.
8. the thing or idea to which the subject of a metaphor is compared, as “rose” in “she is a rose.” Cf.(def. 3).
9. a substance, usually fluid, possessing little or no medicinal action, used as a medium for active remedies.
10. a liquid, as oil, in which a pigment is mixed before being applied to a surface.