motor vehicle

noun

: an automotive vehicle not operated on rails
especially : one with rubber tires for use on highways

Examples of motor vehicle in a Sentence

You can register your car at the Registry of Motor Vehicles. got a license to drive a motor vehicle the minute she turned 16
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The National Safety Council reports that approximately 8 teens die each day in a motor vehicle crash with fatalities increasing 5.9% from 2022 to 2023. Selika Josiah Talbott, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025 Porter Police and Porter Fire responded around 2:24 p.m. June 21 to the intersection of U.S. 12 and Waverly Road for a motor vehicle crash, according to a release from Porter Police. Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025 Read had been charged with second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of an accident causing death in the killing of O’Keefe, in the early morning of Jan. 29, 2022. Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 20 June 2025 Because she was convicted on the lesser charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, Read will serve one year probation. Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 19 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for motor vehicle

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of motor vehicle was in 1890

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Motor vehicle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motor%20vehicle. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

motor vehicle

noun
: a motorized vehicle (as an automobile or motorcycle) not operated on rails

More from Merriam-Webster on motor vehicle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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