sport utility vehicle

noun

variants or sport-utility vehicle

ˈspȯrt-yü-ˈti-lə-tē- 

or less commonly sport utility or sport-utility

plural sport utility vehicles or sport-utility vehicles also sport utilities or sport-utilities

: a rugged automotive vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis : suv

called also sport-ute

Examples of sport utility vehicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Phillips, 60, who primarily drives a 2010 Mercedes sport utility vehicle and owns other vehicles, is now paying $3,244 a year for coverage from the USAA subsidiary, despite a multicar and good-driver discount. —Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026

The suspects left in a sport utility vehicle. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026

The sport utility vehicle used to involve a long list of compromises that made it, for decades, a small segment in new car sales, barely even a niche. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2026

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon in a trendy section of the Midwest city, when a sport utility vehicle and a pickup truck waiting at a traffic light dropped into a hole several feet deep when the pavement under them suddenly gave way. —ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026

Durango is a powerful, 3 row sport utility vehicle, SUV, known for blending family practicality with muscle car performance. —Tony Leopardo, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026

The assailants, prosecutors allege, arrived in a sport utility vehicle in which two other people sat. —Emerson Clarridge updated February 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026

The company produces electric pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. —Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

sport-utility vehicle

noun

sport-util·​i·​ty vehicle

ˈspȯrt-yü-ˈtil-ət-ē-

: a rugged automotive vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light truck chassis