drag race

American

noun

a race between two or more automobiles starting from a standstill, the winner being the car that can accelerate the fastest.

drag race British

noun

a type of motor race in which specially built or modified cars or motorcycles are timed over a measured course

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of drag race

First recorded in 1940–45

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.

See Examples For:

drag race

They finished side by side in a straight drag race to the line.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

She’s won the drag race but now she shows every sign of winning the Indianapolis 500.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2024

During an interview, Elon Musk, who looked like the ghost of a guy who died in a 1950s drag race, was asked if he was antisemitic and said that he was in fact philosemitic.

From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2023

Dwyre also remembers accompanying Glick to a drag race at Pomona Speedway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2023

The former England cricketer was involved in a scare while filming a Top Gear drag race in September 2019.

From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2022

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