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Showing results for motor vehicle. Search instead for motor vehicles.
Synonyms

motor vehicle

American  
[moh-ter vee-i-kuhl, vee-hi-] / ˈmoʊ tər ˈvi ɪ kəl, ˈvi hɪ- /

noun

  1. an automobile, truck, bus, or similar motor-driven conveyance.

motor vehicle British  

noun

  1. a road vehicle driven by a motor or engine, esp an internal-combustion engine

"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 motor vehicle

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

The value of wholesale inventories declined 0.3% for the month to C$135.37 billion, with the largest fall coming in the motor vehicle and parts sector.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

This came on the back of sales declines at motor vehicle and parts dealers, and gasoline stations.

From Barron's • Dec. 16, 2025

Any bike that travels faster than the limit and has more than a 250-watt output is classed as a motor vehicle and is subject to rules of the Road Traffic Act.

From BBC • Aug. 31, 2025

The report, published by Statistics Canada, a government office, shows that Canadians made 1.7 million return trips by motor vehicle back into their country from the U.S. in July.

From Salon • Aug. 21, 2025

The motor vehicle is another invention whose uses seem obvious today.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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.