Synonyms

recreational vehicle

American

noun

a van or utility vehicle used for recreational purposes, as camping, and often equipped with living facilities. RV

recreational vehicle British

noun

RV. a large vanlike vehicle equipped to be lived in

"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 recreational vehicle

First recorded in 1970–75

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.

See Examples For:

recreational vehicle

Seeing America’s expansive landscape in a recreational vehicle has been part of America’s driving ethos for generations.

From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026

Crean Lutheran is named after John Crean, the recreational vehicle pioneer and philanthropist with a rags-to-riches story.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

Seattle’s only recreational vehicle safe lot opened in December 2023 in Interbay and houses up to 26 RVs, plus nine tiny houses.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024

Damien Cave, the Sydney bureau chief, took a pandemic-delayed journey to Australia’s Ningaloo Reef in a 21-foot recreational vehicle.

From New York Times ● Dec. 14, 2023

He said he was not just a car, truck, and recreational vehicle salesman—he was selling the American dream.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023