joyride

noun

joy·​ride ˈjȯi-ˌrīd 

1

: a ride taken for pleasure (as in a car or aircraft)

especially : an automobile ride marked by reckless driving (as in a stolen car)

2

: conduct or action resembling a joyride especially in disregard of cost or consequences

joyride intransitive verb

joyrider

ˈjȯi-ˌrī-dər 

noun

joyriding noun

Examples of joyride in a Sentence

Some teenager stole my car and took it for a joyride.

Recent Examples on the Web

The team’s 61-101 campaign last season was a relative joyride compared to its current journey. —Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 1 Aug. 2024

But Ulf is this instinctive being who now has a Ferrari and is taking it for a joyride. —James Grebey, Vulture, 29 July 2024

The duet gave the impression—as fleeting as that joyride in the fast car—that one great song could bridge America’s divisions. —Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

Then a soldier in a battle helmet took the vehicle on a joyride, zipping up and down a sidewalk, at one point slowing down for a professor on a bicycle. —Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

joyride

noun

joy·​ride ˈjoi-ˌrīd 

: a ride taken for pleasure and often marked by reckless driving

joyrider

-ˌrīd-ər 

noun