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bodywork

American  
[bod-ee-wurk] / ˈbɒd iˌwɜrk /

noun

  1. the work involved in making or repairing automobile or other vehicle bodies.

  2. the body of an automobile or other vehicle, especially with regard to the details or the quality of its construction.


bodywork British  
/ ˈbɒdɪˌwɜːk /

noun

  1. the external shell of a motor vehicle

  2. any form of therapy in which parts of the body are manipulated, such as massage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bodywork

First recorded in 1905–10; body + work

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.

Before each session, McDaniel invites clients to share their personal histories, and then McDaniel performs bodywork through touch as sage smoke curls in the air.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

The CX-50’s bodywork is also a bit wider between the wheel arches, contributing to the visually planted and more powerful stance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Vargas views the face as connected to the entire body’s fascia system, which is either revolutionary bodywork or expensive fiction, depending on who you ask.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

These keep faith with Ferrari’s longstanding tradition that spoilers and other aero appliances must be integrated into the bodywork.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

But there was a van outside her house, an unmarked vehicle that nevertheless said “official” in every line of the gray unwindowed metal of the bodywork.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

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