1. a light, open four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage
Usage: historical
2. an open automobile, especially a touring car
Usage: automotive; dated

Examples

• The wealthy family rode through the park in an elegant phaeton.
• Victorian ladies preferred the phaeton for afternoon drives.
• The museum displayed a beautifully restored 19th-century phaeton.
• He drove his new phaeton along the country roads with the top down.
• The antique phaeton was pulled by two matching bay horses.
• Early automobile phaetons were popular among the upper class.
• The carriage house contained several vehicles, including a fine phaeton.