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motorist

American  
[moh-ter-ist] / ˈmoʊ tər ɪst /

noun

  1. a person who drives or travels in a privately owned automobile.

motorist British  
/ ˈməʊtərɪst /

noun

  1. a driver of a car, esp when considered as a car-owner

"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

  • nonmotorist noun

Etymology

Origin of motorist

First recorded in 1895–1900; motor + -ist

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 warning came after one local motorist apparently failed to provide proof that he was eligible for the scheme after changing his car.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

Click responded that the law specifically covered only the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage that only the ride-sharing companies have to carry.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

"I can't believe it," said one motorist, who spoke to AFP on Friday on condition of anonymity.

From Barron's • Nov. 28, 2025

Late on a cold afternoon in March, a motorist in Belleville, Ill., came upon a young boy wandering down a busy street without shoes and wearing only a T-shirt and pajama bottoms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025

In my mind’s eye, Aunt Gloria turned into a motorist with driving goggles and a huge consignment of bananas in the back seat.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

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.