fender bender

American  

Or fender-bender

noun

Informal.

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

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Etymology

Origin of fender bender

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

After inexplicably leaving the scene of a fender bender in Alexandria in which his Jeep Grand Cherokee was struck from behind, Ghaisar stopped three times for police officers Lucas Vinyard and Alejandro Amaya, then drove off each time, a video recording from a Fairfax County police cruiser shows.

From Washington Post

And what of the two Park Police officers who shot Ghaisar to death after a chase that began with a fender bender on the George Washington Parkway, just across the Potomac from the nation’s capital?

From Washington Post

A video of the shooting released in 2018 by the Fairfax County Police Department begins about six minutes after the fender bender.

From New York Times

The storyline has certainly been a reminder of what not to do after a fender bender.

From Los Angeles Times

Adam Martin was introduced in a seemingly random fender bender, but he went on to prompt suspicions in the swirl of mystery that surrounds the present-day survivors.

From Los Angeles Times