demolition derby

American  

noun

1. 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.

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

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demolition derby British  

noun

1. a competition in which contestants drive old cars into each other until there is only one car left running

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Etymology

Origin of demolition derby

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

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

Both drivers share a nail-gnawing approach to safety that can feel dangerously close to a demolition derby.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025

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

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2024

Twenty years earlier, he explained, he’d been with a friend who was driving a car at a demolition derby.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater