Basic+ Word of the Day: carol

carol (noun, verb) past tense: caroled

A carol is a Christmas song.

• The children sang carols at the Christmas party.

Carol also means ‘to sing Christmas songs, especially in a group outdoors.’

• The quartet caroled from house to house.
• The choir caroled at the Christmas market.

Don't confuse it with

coral: the brightly colored skeleton of sea animals. Example: “When they swam in the Caribbean, they saw beautiful coral reefs.”

Did you know?

Carolers (people who sing carols) often dress in Victorian clothing and sing in markets or business districts. Watch these carolers singing the carol, “Deck the Halls.”

In pop culture

Watch the trailer for the Disney version of the classic tale by Dickens called A Christmas Carol.

There are other meanings of carol.