moped

1 of 2

noun

mo·​ped ˈmō-ˌped 

plural mopeds

: a lightweight, low-powered motorbike that can be pedaled

The difference between a moped and a scooter is like the difference between an economy car and full-sized coupe. A scooter has comfy footrests instead of pedals and a luxurious seat seemingly long enough to accommodate a family of four.

—Kelly Whiteside

broadly : any low-powered motorbike

The Motorman may fit the legal definition of a moped, but it has no pedals. The drivetrain is fully electric.

—Rene Chun

A moped is defined as either a pedal bicycle with a helper motor or a non-pedal bicycle with a motor, which has all of the following characteristics: Have a cylinder capacity of no more than 50 cubic centimeters. Have an automatic transmission. Be capable of a maximum speed of no more than 30 miles per hour. Comply with all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.

—Mass.gov

moped

2 of 2

past tense of mope entry 1

Examples of moped in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There were over 280 million electric mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, and three-wheelers on the road last year. —The Conversation, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023

On Wednesday, a man on a moped arrived in the late afternoon and about a dozen users ambled over to purchase drugs with dollar bills in their hands. —Wesley Parnell, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2023

Describing security footage reviewed by detectives, the report alleges the owner of the moped ran after them. —Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023

Birds chirped outside, blocking out the city’s nearly constant drone of mopeds. —Jeremy Redmon, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2023

But in an outburst as sprawling as any in years, protesters waved Palestinian flags atop mopeds in Beirut, outside the U.S. Embassy in Jordan and on a storied Tunisian boulevard. —Mohamad El Chamaa, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2023

But the demand for food delivery, the ballooning migrant crisis, and the unchecked black market for mopeds seems to outmatch any rules or enforcement. —John Surico, Curbed, 16 Oct. 2023

That Saturday, a moped was stolen outside the Hall. —Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2023

Already this year, the N.Y.P.D. has seized more than 7,000 mopeds. —Andrew Silverstein, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Swedish, from motor motor + pedal pedal

First Known Use

Noun

1954, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

moped

noun

mo·​ped ˈmō-ˌped 

: a lightweight low-powered motorbike that can be pedaled