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noun ADJ. fast | new | second-hand, used a used car salesman | veteran, vintage | private The government wants more people to use public transport instead of private cars. | diesel, electric, motor, petrol | estate, hatchback, saloon, sports | armoured, Panda, patrol, police, squad, unmarked Police in an unmarked car had been following the stolen vehicle for several minutes. | racing, rally, stock | company, hire | getaway The robbers abandoned their getaway car in Sealand Road. | parked There was a line of parked cars in front of the building. VERB + CAR go/travel by | drive | have, own, run It's very expensive to run a car these days. | take It's too far to walk. I'll take the car. | get in/into, pile into He got in the car and they drove off. The kids all piled into the car. | get out of | get out You lock up the house and I'll get the car out. | stop | back, reverse | overtake, pass | lose control of I lost control of the car and it spun off the road. | leave, park | abandon, dump | build, make, manufacture, produce | repair, service, work on | take in I've got to take the car in for service. | wash | hire | break into, steal CAR + VERB start Despite the cold, the car started first time. | run on sth cars that run on diesel | do sth The car does 55 miles per gallon. The car was doing over 100 miles an hour. | pull out, turn out What cheek! That car pulled out right in front of me! | drive off, pull away | overtake sb/sth, pass sb/sth | accelerate | slow down | come to a halt, draw up, pull up, stop | skid, spin Her car skidded on a patch of ice. | break down, stall | collide with sth, crash, hit sth, leave the road His car hit a van coming in the opposite direction. CAR + NOUN boot, door, engine, horn, key, phone, tyre, window a car boot sale (= an outdoor sale where people sell things from the backs of their cars) | park, parking There's not enough car parking in the town centre. | driver | dealer, salesman, showroom | accident, crash | wash | tax | ferry PREP. by ~ They take the children to school by car. | in a/the ~ I'll wait for you in the car. PHRASES cars on the roads The number of cars on the roads is increasing all the time. | a make/model of car
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car verbs go/travel by car • I try to use public transport instead of going by car. get in/into a car • The man stopped and she got into the car. get out of a car • He got out of the car and went into the newsagent’s. drive a car • In England you can learn to drive a car when you are 17. have/own a car • Do you have a car? run a car (= have a car and pay for the petrol, repairs etc it needs ) • People on low incomes can’t afford to run a car. take the car (= use a car to go somewhere ) • Is it all right if I take the car this evening? park a car • She parked the car by the side of the road. back/reverse a car (= make it move backwards ) • Suzy backed the car into the driveway. lose control of the car (= no longer be able to control its direction ) • He lost control of the car on a sharp bend. a car passes/overtakes somebody • A small black car overtook me on my left. a car drives off/away • The police car drove off at top speed. a car pulls out (= moves away from the side of the road ) • A car suddenly pulled out in front of me. a car slows down • The car slowed down and stopped outside our house. a car pulls up (= stops ) • Why’s that police car pulling up here? a car pulls over (= stops on the side of a road ) a car breaks down (= stops working because something is wrong with it ) • On the way home on the motorway the car broke down. a car stalls (= stops working for a short time until you start it again ) • My car stalled at the traffic lights. a car hits something/crashes into something • I saw the car leave the road and hit a tree. a car skids (= slides sideways in a way you cannot control ) • If it’s icy, the car might skid. car + NOUN a car crash/accident ( also a car wreck American English ) • He was involved in a car crash. a car park • She couldn’t find a space in the car park. a car door/engine/key etc • She left the car engine running. the car industry • The car industry suffers in times of economic decline. a car manufacturer/maker • He works for the German car manufacturer, Mercedes. a car driver • Every year 1500 car drivers and passengers die in road accidents. a car dealer (= someone who buys and sells used cars ) • Car dealers reported a 4% drop in sales. a car chase • The best bit in the movie was the car chase through the city. car crime British English • Car crime in the area has risen rapidly. a car bomb (= a bomb hidden in or under a car ) • A car bomb exploded killing 33 people. adjectives a used/second-hand car (= one that is not new ) • The company locates suitable new and used cars for buyers. a sports car (= a low fast car ) • He was driving a red sports car. an estate car British English (= one with a door at the back and folding seats ) • Once you have children, an estate car is very useful. a racing car ( also a race car American English ) • He became a racing car driver. a police car • The vehicle was being chased by a police car. a company car (= one that your company gives you to use ) • She was given a company car. a hire car British English , a rental car American English • We picked up a hire car at the airport.