road rage

noun

: a motorist's uncontrolled anger that is usually triggered by an action of another motorist and that is expressed in aggressive or violent behavior

From punching cars to shooting drivers, road rage … takes many forms.

—Natalie La Roche Pietri

Drivers reported experiencing road rage most frequently on city streets (29.18%), on freeways or highways (26.59%) and in parking lots (14.9%).

—Ashlee Tilford

—often used before another noun

a road rage incident

An apparent road rage shooting left one person wounded …

—Anna Spoerre

road rager

ˈrōd-ˌrā-jər 

noun

plural road ragers

Other drivers may have similar feelings or thoughts, but only the road rager responds with dangerous behavior: tailgating, pulling right in front of you at high speeds, running you off the road, refusing to let you into traffic, and so on.

—Michael Karson

Examples of road rage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Overland Park Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a vehicle involved in a road rage incident in which multiple shots were fired Tuesday morning. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 17 Dec. 2025

Shattered glass remained after a jaw-dropping road rage incident on Archer on Monday. —Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025

Driving in Miami-Dade is something that just about everyone will agree is frustrating — with bumper-to-bumper traffic jams, last-minute merges and inevitable road rage. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 15 Dec. 2025

The Denver Police Department is searching for a white or light-colored pickup truck in connection with a fatal road rage shooting on Saturday in Harvey Park. —Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for road rage

• assuage
• backstage
• bocage
• downstage
• engage
• enrage
• leafage
• messuage
• offstage
• onstage
• outrage
• pelage