demolition derby

American

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.

demolition derby British

noun

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

Etymology

Origin of demolition derby

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

The “restart timeline is a stubborn mule,” Raj told MarketWatch, and “repumping the battered energy heart is a multiyear demolition derby, not a weekend DIY.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

The one presented is about as elegant as a demolition derby conducted at a landfill, with so many elements flying around that the movie ends in a thick cloud of culpability.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

The race, part of the annual Walcha Motorcycle Rally, had been a demolition derby - a type of motorsport where drivers ram their vehicles into one another.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2025

The densely packed cluster plus the lightning-fast speeds equal a high-speed demolition derby.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2024

It looks like it’s been through a demolition derby.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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