fender bender

American  

Or fender-bender

noun

Informal.

1. a collision between motor vehicles in which there is only minor damage.

---

Etymology

Origin of fender bender

First recorded in 1960–65

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fender bender

And this latest fender bender might be the one that finally illuminates dashboard warning lights for those bosses who have always so hastily turned to Woods in the past.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

The damage included shooting down one of our own fighter jets and a carrier fender bender with a civilian ship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

What may have once been a simple fender bender has “turned into a major claim,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2024

Then, when I departed said strip mall and made a left-hand turn across four lanes of traffic, I hit another car—it was worse than a fender bender, but no one was hurt.

From Slate ● May 12, 2024

Another year of missing all the normal teenagery things—learner’s permit, first kiss, prom, first heartbreak, first fender bender.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---