racer

American  

[rey-ser] / ˈreɪ sər /

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing that races or takes part in a race, as a racehorse, bicycle, yacht, etc.

2. anything having great speed.

3. racing skate.

4. a turntable on which a heavy gun is turned.

5. any of several slender, active snakes of the genera Coluber and Masticophis.

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racer British  

/ ˈreɪsə /

noun

1. a person, animal, or machine that races

2. a turntable used to traverse a heavy gun

3. any of several long slender nonvenomous North American snakes of the colubrid genus Coluber and related genera, such as C. lateralis ( striped racer )

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Other Word Forms

• miniracer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of racer

First recorded in 1640–50; race ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Frozen Planet II also pioneered the use of racer drones, which captured the terrifying experience of flying down a mountainside alongside an avalanche.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

An elite dinghy racer in his youth, he gave the Cup a whirl in 1974 on Mariner, a vessel he claimed would be an innovative breakthrough.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

While Treacy is an experienced and successful racer in his own right, this - combined with the pressures of the Olympic stage - is another hurdle for him to overcome compared to better funded nations.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

Shiffrin's last Olympic medal was the giant slalom title at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018, an eternity for a ski racer of her talent and her record in other competitions.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

Mary Jackson could see the air moving around the racer just as clearly as if she were looking at a Schlieren photograph taken in a wind tunnel.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• marathoner
• runner
• sprinter