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hubcap

American  
[huhb-kap] / ˈhʌbˌkæp /

noun

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


hubcap British  
/ ˈhʌbˌkæp /

noun

  1. 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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


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.

See Examples For:

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

And then we see the SS badge on a hubcap, which tells us that this is going to be a high performance version of the Chevy Blazer.

From The Verge ● Mar. 9, 2022

I walk outside to dump the water and wave at my neighbor, who’s boiling peanuts in a hubcap.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Its custom-made fittings include mink seats, a gold disc on top of the grille and hubcaps carrying his initials.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2025

Inside her studio, some of her favorite pieces from more than 100 solo exhibitions around the world are flanked by towering pillars of tires, stacks of steering wheels and disused hubcaps.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024

Use what you have until the proverbial hubcaps fall off, and if you do find yourself in a position to replace, consider some of these ideas and options:

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2022

Seemingly every conceivable and inconceivable media is represented: paint of course, but also synthetic wig hair, busted hockey sticks, insulation foam, needlepoint, hubcaps, brasserie menus.

From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2022

In such a masculine household, Tessie had begun to feel like the odd woman out and saw herself in ten years’ time imprisoned in a world of hubcaps and hernias.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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