hubcap

American

[huhb-kap] / ˈhʌbˌkæp /

noun

a removable cover for the center area of the exposed side of an automobile wheel, covering the axle.

hubcap British

/ ˈhʌbˌkæp /

noun

a metal cap fitting onto the hub of a wheel, esp a stainless steel or chromium-plated one

"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

Etymology

Origin of hubcap

First recorded in 1900–05; hub + cap ¹

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.

Bird Jam has a Cadillac hubcap and nitrogen tank as its body, with wings attached to a miniature banjo.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2024

Images of the scene posted on social media show a smashed front window of a building with shards of glass and dark metal lying on the pavement outside, along with a silver metal hubcap.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2024

Holden, her dead son, keeps reaching out to Danvers through strange signs, including a broken hubcap materializing from nothing.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2024

Contee said police are looking for the driver and the Jeep, which is missing a rear hubcap.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2023

I came to stand behind them just in time to watch Liam wave his hand in front of the hubcap.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

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