sport utility vehicle

noun

variants or sport-utility vehicle or less commonly sport utility or sport-utility
plural sport utility vehicles or sport-utility vehicles also sport utilities or sport-utilities
: a rugged automotive vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis : suv

called also sport-ute

Examples of sport utility vehicle 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.
Surveillance video of the scene aired by CBS Sacramento showed a black sport utility vehicle driving on 16th Street at high speed against a red light and through the intersection with E Street. Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 June 2025 In 2013, a sport utility vehicle plowed into a crowd near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, killing two and injuring dozens; and in 2014, a group armed with long knives attacked people at a train station in the southwestern city of Kunming, killing 31. David Pierson, New York Times, 29 May 2025 The vehicle could be a car, minivan, van, sport utility vehicle, pickup truck or even a motorcycle. Susan Tompor, USA Today, 4 June 2025 Phillips shot Fischer to death after a brief sport utility vehicle chase. Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025 Cervantes’ vehicle was broadsided by a sport utility vehicle about 1:30 p.m. Monday near 14th and S streets, according to police. Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2025 The Defender 90 remains the smallest, most maneuverable sport utility vehicle in the British manufacturer’s lineup. James Raia, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2025 The company’s factory near Tuscaloosa, Ala., primarily assembles luxury sport utility vehicles, including electric models, for sale in the United States and export to other markets. Neal E. Boudette, New York Times, 1 May 2025 The crash, which involved an sport utility vehicle, was reported at 6:09 p.m. on Brookburn Drive near Almondwood Way. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sport utility vehicle was in 1969

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Cite this Entry

“Sport utility vehicle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sport%20utility%20vehicle. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

sport-utility vehicle

noun
sport-util·​i·​ty vehicle
ˈspȯrt-yü-ˈtil-ət-ē-
: a rugged automotive vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light truck chassis
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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