minivan

American  

[min-ee-van] / ˈmɪn iˌvæn /

Or mini-van

noun

• minivans
  plural

1. a small passenger van, somewhat larger than a station wagon, typically with side or rear windows and rear seats that can be removed for hauling small loads.

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minivan British  

/ ˈmɪnɪˌvæn /

noun

1. a small van, esp one with seats in the back for carrying passengers

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• minivans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of minivan

mini- + van ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

minivan minivans

On Sunday, lines of police officers were combing the ground near the car, a Citroen minivan with a Berlin number plate, in the search for clues and taking samples of material from the ground.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Citi says that apart from a robust RAM performance and an unusually strong June for the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, the rest of the automaker’s U.S. model portfolio remains very weak.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Toyota, having already eliminated gas-only versions of its Sienna minivan and Camry sedan, is selling its RAV4 compact SUV exclusively as a hybrid for the 2026 model year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

The Duffys are not ordinary Americans piling into a minivan for a modest summer vacation.

From Salon ● May 18, 2026

I knew we were lucky because we had our old Honda minivan, which had lots of room.

From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate

Generations of American families grew up in Chrysler minivans such as the Town & Country in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

Given the redundancy of SUVs in the market, I’d love to see minivans make a comeback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

After one full season, a second home mortgage and multiple credit cards, White’s fleet has grown to 10 vehicles: minibuses, transit vans, trolleys, minivans, transporters.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024

Traffic police set up cones and direct the minivans filled with families through the neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2023

A month, maybe two, and the families with their out-of-state plates and minivans that were a tick too nice for the parking lot would disappear like a magic trick.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss