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motorist

/ˈmoʊdərəst/
/ˈmʌʊtərɪst/
IPA guide

Other forms: motorists

Motorist is another word for "driver." Motorists need to be aware of pedestrians and stay out of bike lanes.

It's especially common to find the word motorists in news stories when they're talking about drivers as a collective group, like all the motorists in downtown Chicago or rural motorists on two-lane highways. Motorist first appeared in the late 19th century, around the time the earliest automobiles did, meaning "motor car driver." An alternative term that quickly became obsolete was motorneer.

Definitions of motorist
  1. noun
    someone who drives (or travels in) an automobile
    synonyms: automobilist
    see moresee less
    type of:
    driver
    the operator of a motor vehicle
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘motorist'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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