Runabout

noun

noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of several small vehicles, especially a small motor car for use on short journeys.

    "The door being open, Stranleigh walked in unannounced. A two-seated runabout[…]stood by the window, where it could be viewed by passers-by. Further down the room rested a chassis, […]"

  2. 2
    an open automobile having a front seat and a rumble seat wordnet
  3. 3
    A motor car having a single row of seats. dated
  4. 4
    A light, open, American horse-drawn vehicle with four large wheels. historical
  5. 5
    A gadabout or vagabond. archaic
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  1. 6
    A small, relatively maneuverable spacecraft or shuttlecraft.

Synonyms

All synonyms
ahasuerusancient marinerargonautautomobilebird of passageboat

Example

More examples

"The door being open, Stranleigh walked in unannounced. A two-seated runabout[…]stood by the window, where it could be viewed by passers-by. Further down the room rested a chassis, […]"

Etymology

Deverbal from run about.

Related phrases

motor car

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.