four-wheel drive
Americannoun
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a drive system in which engine power is transmitted to all four wheels for improved traction.
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a vehicle having such a system. 4WD
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of four-wheel drive
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
Our four-wheel drive vehicle struggled up the steep road the Cambodians have built to climb the cliff.
From BBC • Sep. 7, 2025
New South Wales police said on Friday that one man was missing after his four-wheel drive was swept into a fast-flowing river.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2025
The rental van was four-wheel drive, but I creeped.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2024
We rented a four-wheel drive van and stayed in Mariposa.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2024
“If you’re not leaving, then let us borrow your truck. We need four-wheel drive to get us where we’re going.”
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
