demolition derby

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noun

a contest in which drivers deliberately and repeatedly crash old cars into each other, on a racetrack or in an enclosed area, with the winner being the last vehicle still moving after all others have been disabled.

Informal. any event or circumstance having the chaotically destructive character of such a competition.

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Origin of demolition derby

First recorded in 1950–55

Words nearby demolition derby

de Moivre's theorem, de Molina, demolish, demolition, demolition bomb, demolition derby, demolitions, demon, demonetarize, demonetize, demoniac

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use demolition derby in a sentence

Amid the confusion, talking-points about what went wrong were circulated until they became messier than a state-fair demolition derby.
By Making the Jan. 6 Probe Political, Republicans Stand to Re-Run Benghazi Playbook|Philip Elliott|July 14, 2021|Time
Their home probably will be devastated, too, but they received no demolition notice.
In Jerusalem Home Demolitions, the Biblical Justice of Revenge|Creede Newton|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ibrahim Hijazi walked me through his barren house, emptied ahead of the demolition.
In Jerusalem Home Demolitions, the Biblical Justice of Revenge|Creede Newton|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How could anyone think that their dislike of the Bee Gees made anything about Disco Demolition Night acceptable?
Of Gamers, Gates, and Disco Demolition: The Roots of Reactionary Rage|Arthur Chu|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Dahl went on to attain nationwide fame and his own syndicated broadcast as a result of Disco Demolition Night.
Of Gamers, Gates, and Disco Demolition: The Roots of Reactionary Rage|Arthur Chu|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After 57 years of continuous operation, the theater closed, was sold to a private company, and scheduled for demolition.
How to Save Silent Movies: Inside New Jersey’s Cinema Paradiso|Rich Goldstein|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the reign of some of the English kings the demolition of such houses would not have been adjudged treason.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Except, therefore, for an interval of about three years my childhood and youth were spent at Derby.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Outside Derby station was a ticket platform at which all incoming trains stopped for the collection of tickets.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
We resided at Derby in a terrace on the outskirt of the town, much to my dislike, for monotonous rows of houses I have ever hated.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Said to be aristocratically connected, he was the admiration of all and the darling of the young ladies of Derby.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for demolition derby

demolition derby

noun

mainly US and Canadian a competition in which contestants drive old cars into each other until there is only one car left running

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