A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, driven by a taxi driver.
"After waiting at the curb, we hailed a passing taxi to take us directly to the airport."
In plain English: A taxi is a car that you can hire to take you from one place to another for money.
"We waited at the curb for our taxi to arrive."
Usage: Use this word to refer specifically to a licensed car available for hire with a metered fare or fixed rate, distinguishing it from private cars that must be booked in advance. When referring to moving an airplane on the runway, use "taxi" as a verb instead of treating it solely as a noun for ground vehicles.
To move an aircraft on the ground under its own power.
"The pilot carefully taxi the jet down the runway before taking off."
In plain English: To taxi means to move slowly and carefully, usually while waiting for something else to happen.
"I will taxi you to the airport since your car won't start."
The word taxi is short for "taximeter cab," coming from French and German terms that originally referred to an automatic meter recording distance and fare. The term traveled into English via these loanwords before being adapted as a standalone noun for the vehicle itself.