hot rod

1 of 2

noun (1)

: an automobile rebuilt or modified for high speed and fast acceleration

hot-rodder

2 of 2

noun (2)

hot-rod·​der ˈhät-ˌrä-dər 

: a hot rod driver, builder, or enthusiast

hot-rod

ˈhät-ˈräd 

verb

Examples of hot rod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Sure, nothing on the road turns heads quite like a hot rod or vintage vehicle in pristine condition. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 July 2026

The early hot rod and muscle car eras stand out as high points, as do the early days of turbocharging. — Peter Nelson, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026

Noun

Customers can then live out their early-1960s hot-rodder dream by installing the engine and gearbox themselves, or have a shop do the work instead. — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024

Many of these hot-rodders liked the looks and styling of their hotrods but didn’t like getting beaten from the stoplight by a Camaro, Viper or Mustang. — David Krumboltz, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1943, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1947, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hot rod

• abroad
• applaud
• backboard
• ballade
• defraud
• ephod
• facade
• guffawed
• outlawed
• ramrod
• roughshod
• slipshod

Kids Definition

hot rod

noun

: an automobile rebuilt or changed for high speed and fast acceleration