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.

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

Eventually, they also agreed to remove 9,800 homeless encampments by June 2026 — with an encampment defined as an individual tent, makeshift structure, car or recreational vehicle.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2025

The recreational vehicle maker trimmed its earnings and revenue forecasts for the year.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 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

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