moped
Americannoun
-
mopeds
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of moped
1955–60; < German, ultimately < Swedish ( trampcykel med ) mo ( tor och ) ped ( aler ) pedal cycle with engine and pedals
Explanation
A moped is a two-wheeled vehicle that can be powered by pedals or an engine. You might find it easier to get around the city on your moped than in a car. Although today there are some mopeds that don't have them, the earliest versions always included bicycle pedals. The word itself was coined in 1952 by a Swedish journalist, from trampcykel med motor och pedaler, literally "pedal cycle with motor and pedals." It's relatively easy to get a license to ride a moped, which is less powerful and slower than a motorcycle.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Simson's moped division puttered on after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall but eventually went bust in 2002.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
A ballroom dancer who coddles his pet rats—Fred and Ginger—Declan rides a moped that his colleague, Sara Xiu, describes as “that pitiful hair-dryer on wheels.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
It is the middle of the day and as shoppers buy their groceries a man rides a moped inside a Co-op store.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
“To ride a motorcycle or moped, you need to have the appropriate driver’s license and comply with rules of the road.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
There was a baby carriage outside one house, a moped leaning against the wall of another, and voices floated into the street from open windows.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
During communist days, chronic shortages and years-long waiting lists for cars like the puttering Trabant meant that mopeds and motorcycles became an indispensable way to get around.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
A Ram truck with a yellow barnacle on its windshield, a handful of mopeds under rain covers, and a lot of empty parking spaces.
From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2025
Here, the music scores an extraordinary montage that includes a lavish ball in 1918, the exploits of a fishing boat and a fleet of mopeds cruising in slow motion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025
Half of that came from tips and around $2 went to equipment and maintenance, mostly for e-bikes and mopeds.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
The mopeds parted like fish in a giant shoal.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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