road rage

noun

: a motorist's uncontrolled anger that is usually triggered by an action of another motorist and that is expressed in aggressive or violent behavior
From punching cars to shooting drivers, road rage … takes many forms.Natalie La Roche Pietri
Drivers reported experiencing road rage most frequently on city streets (29.18%), on freeways or highways (26.59%) and in parking lots (14.9%).Ashlee Tilford
often used before another noun
a road rage incident
An apparent road rage shooting left one person wounded …Anna Spoerre
road rager noun
plural road ragers
Other drivers may have similar feelings or thoughts, but only the road rager responds with dangerous behavior: tailgating, pulling right in front of you at high speeds, running you off the road, refusing to let you into traffic, and so on. Michael Karson

Examples of road rage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Listen to this article A New Milford man was arrested over the weekend for allegedly assaulting an elderly man following a road rage incident on Route 7 in Brookfield that led to a two-car crash. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024 Where does Texas measure up in road rage shootings? Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 3 Oct. 2024 The big picture: Speeding, tailgating, weaving in and out of lanes, and road rage aren't the only bad driving habits making Virginia highways unsafe, a recent AAA Mid-Atlantic poll of drivers found. Karri Peifer, Axios, 30 Sep. 2024 During what police described as a road rage incident, a driver being chased by another motorist on East Washington Street ran a red light at Ritter Avenue and slammed into a SUV. Daryl Perry, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for road rage 

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of road rage was in 1988

Dictionary Entries Near road rage

Cite this Entry

“Road rage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/road%20rage. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on road rage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!