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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of bodywork

First recorded in 1905–10; body + work

Example Sentences

In my opinion there is a maximum ratio of black reflective surfaces to bodywork, beyond which your car starts to look like a bass boat.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

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

It was designed by Pininfarina with bodywork by Scaglietti, both names immediately recognizable to Ferrari cognoscenti.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

Volkswagen determined Weinraub’s vehicle needed significant mechanical repairs and bodywork to be ready for the road.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 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