Car (noun) — A car is a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine or electric motor, designed to carry a small number of passengers. It is commonly used for personal transport and operates on streets and highways.
How to Pronounce “Car”?
Audio (UK):
Audio (US):
The word “car” is pronounced like “cah” (/kɑː/), with a hard k sound and a long ah sound, and you don’t say the r at the end. Keep practicing and you’ll get it!
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Examples: How to Use “Car” in a Sentence?
Let’s take a look at some patterns of how you can integrate this word into sentences and thus expand your vocabulary.
What Are Synonyms for the Word “Car”?
As we are moving on, we invite you to discover synonymous expressions of the “car” in English.
Related nouns: vehicle automobile motor vehicle sedan coupe hatchback
Synonyms (contextual): ride motor auto
Common collocations: drive a car park the car buy a new car rent a car car keys
“Car” Word Formation and Description in Context
In this section, you will learn about how you can combine “car” with other words to make up simple and meaningful lexical constructions.
With adjectives: fast car expensive car electric car broken car beautiful car
With verbs: sell a car repair a car wash a car start a car
With nouns (noun + noun): car battery car engine car alarm car wheel
Idioms and Phrases with “Car”
“Cars” are our everyday life partners, and we can see them all the time, so it is not a surprise that there are a lot of idioms and phrases used with them to describe feelings, mood, etc.
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Calling all cars — a phrase originally used by police over the radio to alert all patrol cars about a situation or suspect. Now it can be used more broadly to mean calling everyone’s attention to an urgent matter.
Calling allcars — we’ve got a major problem with the server crash! -
Getaway car — A car used by criminals to escape quickly after committing a crime, like a robbery.
The thieves jumped into the getawaycar and sped off before the police arrived. -
Wrap one’s car around something — To crash a car into something (like a tree or pole), often badly. It’s an idiom that means a serious accident.
He was driving too fast and ended up wrapping hiscar around a lamppost.
Test Your Knowledge of Car Meaning — Quiz Time!
And now we are offering you to boost your knowledge by completing this car-related intellectual game!
Enjoy personalized learning!
“Car” Word in Other Languages
Take a look at how this word looks in other popular languages.
| Language | Word for “Car ” |
|---|---|
Spanish |
Auto |
French |
Voiture |
German |
Auto |
Did You Know It? Fun Facts About “Car”
The definition of “car” can be quite surprising if we talk about different historical details that can change our perception of this thing.
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The first car didn’t have a steering wheel.
Instead, a tiller was used, much like the rudder of a ship. With no steering wheel on Karl Benz’s 1886 Motorwagen, its drivers had to hold a lever and literally steer with the seat of their pants. -
Windshield wipers were invented by a woman.
Mary Anderson’s manual windshield wiper was introduced in 1903, after she noticed people having problems seeing through snow or rain. Her idea was initially rejected by car companies. -
The world’s best-selling car is the Toyota Corolla.
Since 1966, the Corolla has found more than 50 million buyers worldwide, hardly a reputation to argue with, given its reliability, good fuel economy, and affordability. It stood the test of time and remains a huge cash cow for Toyota today. -
Electric cars are older than you think.
The first electric cars appeared in the early 1800s, long before gasoline engines became dominant. In fact, by the early 1900s, electric vehicles would amount to about one-third of all cars on U.S. roads — just goes to show how sometimes history really makes a full circle. -
Airbags deploy in less than 1/20th of a second.
During a crash, an airbag inflates almost instantly — faster than the blink of an eye — to cushion the impact and soften the blow, often making the difference between walking away and serious injury.
Famous Quotes Featuring “Car”
The word “car”, as in real life, is very popular among quotations of different famous people. Let’s discover those sayings and what they mean!
— Zygmunt Bauman
Explanation: Bauman compares relationships to cars, explaining how being cared for, paid attention to, and maintained by those who nurture and respect them is imperative for a relationship to work over time. A neglected car could break down, likewise with relationships without communication and effort.
— Matthew Fox
Explanation: This exaggeration is used to stress the depth to which cars have permeated modern culture and identity, saying they are not mere tools but are part of how we live and think.
Explanation: Einstein humorously suggests that multitasking between something as dangerous as driving and as intimate as kissing is unwise. One should never share proper love with distractions.
— Budd Schulberg
Explanation: The message implied by Schulberg is that conscience is like brakes that slow down a person in a world that rewards speed and recklessness. Thus, being ethical sometimes may feel like a hindrance mediated by competition.
— Ayrton Senna
Explanation: The quote underlines the intensity and commitment required at the highest levels of competition — settling for less is not an option for those driven by excellence.
