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Synonyms

carhop

American  
[kahr-hop] / ˈkɑrˌhɒp /

noun

  1. a person who serves customers in their cars. at a drive-in restaurant.

verb (used without object)

carhopped, carhopping

  1. to work as a carhop.

carhop British  
/ ˈkɑːˌhɒp /

noun

  1. informal a waiter or waitress at a drive-in restaurant

"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 carhop

First recorded in 1935–40; car 1 + (bell)hop

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.

After class, she would take everyone home before heading to her second job as a carhop at Sonic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

Inspired by Mel’s Drive-In, which recently announced that it will be resurrecting its ’50s-era carhop service to attract more customers, the Burbank location is offering its own carhop delivery and free churros.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2020

Three years ago, he was a carhop at a Sonic Drive-In in Garland, Tex.

From New York Times • Jan. 29, 2018

By World War II, carhop service was common at drive-up restaurants offering fare such as burgers and ice cream loats, some brought out by roller-skating waitresses.

From Time • Jul. 4, 2016

My high school friends would still have been whining over boyfriends and fighting for carhop jobs at the A&W. Their idea of a dog-eat-dog world was Beauty School.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.