racer

American  

[rey-ser] / ˈreɪ sər /

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing that races race 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

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

He’d probably be slotted in as a sprinting one-day racer type—the domains dominated by big dogs with giant engines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

That was a disappointing debut for a legendary racer looking to bounce back from her last Olympic showing.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026

But Weston, who won Team GB's first medal at the Games, showed why he is the best skeleton racer in the world with a sublime 58.59secs run to clinch a second medal.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

Kyle took off at the exact same second as the first relay racer for Marjory Muldauer’s Midwest team.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• marathoner
• runner
• sprinter