50 Idioms About Cars With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms About Cars
1. Jump-start something
Meaning: To begin something quickly or help get it going.
In a Sentence: The new advertisement helped jump-start the car company’s sales.
Other Ways to Say: Kickstart, Launch
2. Put the pedal to the metal
Meaning: To go faster or work harder
In a Sentence: We need to put the pedal to the metal if we want to finish the assignment on time.
Other Ways to Say: Speed up, Hurry up
3. Hit the brakes
Meaning: To slow down or stop.
In a Sentence: They had to hit the brakes on the project due to lack of funding.
Other Ways to Say: Pause, Hold off
4. Backseat driver
Meaning: Someone who gives unwanted advice
In a Sentence: My sister is such a backseat driver; she keeps telling me how to do my homework!
Other Ways to Say: Know-it-all, Bossy
5. In the driver’s seat
Meaning: In control of a situation
In a Sentence: After the promotion, she was finally in the driver’s seat at work.
Other Ways to Say: In control, In charge
6. Run out of gas
Meaning: To become tired or lose momentum
In a Sentence: Halfway through the semester, I ran out of gas and lost motivation.
Other Ways to Say: Burned out, Exhausted
7. Take a detour
Meaning: To take an alternative path or approach
In a Sentence: He took a detour in his career and ended up becoming a chef.
Other Ways to Say: Change direction, Switch paths
8. In high gear
Meaning: Moving quickly or intensely
In a Sentence: Wedding preparations are now in high gear.
Other Ways to Say: At full speed, Intensified
9. Put the brakes on
Meaning: To stop or slow something
In a Sentence: The company put the brakes on hiring new employees.
Other Ways to Say: Halt, Delay
10. Rev up
Meaning: To increase excitement or energy
In a Sentence: The music revved up the crowd before the game.
Other Ways to Say: Energize, Boost
11. Like a well-oiled machine
Meaning: Functioning smoothly and efficiently
In a Sentence: The event ran like a well-oiled machine thanks to good planning.
Other Ways to Say: Seamless, Efficient
12. Drive someone crazy
Meaning: To annoy or upset someone greatly
In a Sentence: The noise from the construction is driving me crazy.
Other Ways to Say: Annoy, Irritate
13. Shift gears
Meaning: To change strategy or focus
In a Sentence: When the plan failed, the team had to shift gears.
Other Ways to Say: Adapt, Change approach
14. Road rage
Meaning: Aggressive behavior by drivers
In a Sentence: His road rage got him into trouble with the police.
Other Ways to Say: Driving temper, Car aggression
15. Take the wheel
Meaning: To take control or responsibility
In a Sentence: Someone needs to take the wheel and lead the project.
Other Ways to Say: Step up, Take charge
16. Steer clear of
Meaning: To avoid
In a Sentence: I always steer clear of traffic jams by taking the back roads.
Other Ways to Say: Avoid, Stay away from
17. Hit the road
Meaning: To leave or start a journey
In a Sentence: Let’s hit the road before it gets dark.
Other Ways to Say: Depart, Head out
18. Run like a dream
Meaning: Function perfectly
In a Sentence: My new laptop runs like a dream.
Other Ways to Say: Works perfectly, Smooth operation
19. A smooth ride
Meaning: Easy and without problems
In a Sentence: The job transition was a smooth ride.
Other Ways to Say: Trouble-free, Easygoing
20. Roadblock
Meaning: An obstacle
In a Sentence: Funding became a major roadblock in the project’s success.
Other Ways to Say: Barrier, Obstruction
21. In a jam
Meaning: In a difficult situation
In a Sentence: I’m in a jam; I forgot to bring my wallet.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble, Stuck
22. Crank it up
Meaning: Increase intensity or volume
In a Sentence: Let’s crank up the volume and dance!
Other Ways to Say: Raise, Boost
23. Out of gas
Meaning: Lacking energy
In a Sentence: I feel out of gas after that long meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Drained, Worn out
24. Red-light someone
Meaning: To stop someone from proceeding
In a Sentence: The boss red-lighted the proposal last minute.
Other Ways to Say: Block, Deny
25. Driving force
Meaning: The main influence or reason
In a Sentence: She was the driving force behind the company’s success.
Other Ways to Say: Key player, Main motivator
26. Hit a speed bump
Meaning: Encounter a minor problem
In a Sentence: We hit a speed bump with the timeline, but we’re back on track now.
Other Ways to Say: Setback, Minor obstacle
27. Full throttle
Meaning: At maximum effort or speed
In a Sentence: The campaign was running full throttle ahead of the elections.
Other Ways to Say: Full speed, All out
28. Blow a gasket
Meaning: Lose one’s temper
In a Sentence: Dad blew a gasket when he saw the broken window.
Other Ways to Say: Explode in anger, Get furious
29. Running on fumes
Meaning: Operating with almost no energy or resources
In a Sentence: I was running on fumes by the end of the workday.
Other Ways to Say: Barely functioning, Exhausted
30. Bumper to bumper
Meaning: Heavy traffic
In a Sentence: The freeway is bumper to bumper right now.
Other Ways to Say: Packed traffic, Gridlock
31. Test drive
Meaning: Try something before committing
In a Sentence: I want to test drive the new app before subscribing.
Other Ways to Say: Try out, Sample
32. Road trip
Meaning: A long journey by car
In a Sentence: We’re planning a road trip across the country.
Other Ways to Say: Car vacation, Drive getaway
33. Drive a hard bargain
Meaning: Be a tough negotiator
In a Sentence: She drives a hard bargain when selling her art.
Other Ways to Say: Be firm, Haggle
34. Spin your wheels
Meaning: Waste time with no progress
In a Sentence: I felt like I was spinning my wheels on that project.
Other Ways to Say: Get nowhere, Stall
35. Park it
Meaning: Stop or stay in one place
In a Sentence: Park it over there while we set up.
Other Ways to Say: Set down, Leave it
36. Gas guzzler
Meaning: A car that uses a lot of fuel
In a Sentence: That truck is a real gas guzzler.
Other Ways to Say: Fuel hog, Inefficient vehicle
37. Put it in park
Meaning: Pause or end something
In a Sentence: Let’s put it in park for now and revisit tomorrow.
Other Ways to Say: Pause, Take a break
38. Cruise along
Meaning: Move easily or steadily
In a Sentence: The team cruised along after the initial hiccup.
Other Ways to Say: Glide, Flow
39. Tailgate
Meaning: Drive too closely behind another car
In a Sentence: Stop tailgating, it’s dangerous!
Other Ways to Say: Follow too close, Ride bumper
40. Take for a spin
Meaning: Go for a short drive
In a Sentence: Want to take the new bike for a spin?
Other Ways to Say: Try out, Go for a ride
41. Put the car in reverse
Meaning: Go back or undo a decision
In a Sentence: We had to put the car in reverse and choose another option.
Other Ways to Say: Backtrack, Reverse decision
42. Dead end
Meaning: A situation with no way forward
In a Sentence: That idea led us to a dead end.
Other Ways to Say: No solution, Standstill
43. Drive someone up the wall
Meaning: Annoy or irritate greatly
In a Sentence: That constant beeping is driving me up the wall.
Other Ways to Say: Aggravate, Get on nerves
44. Be a lemon
Meaning: A vehicle (or product) that’s defective
In a Sentence: That used car turned out to be a lemon.
Other Ways to Say: Faulty item, Dud
45. Jack up
Meaning: To raise, especially prices or intensity
In a Sentence: They jacked up the prices after the holiday.
Other Ways to Say: Increase, Hike up
46. Cut someone off
Meaning: Suddenly interrupt or stop
In a Sentence: That driver cut me off on the highway!
Other Ways to Say: Interrupt, Block
47. Blow through a stop sign
Meaning: Ignore rules or warnings
In a Sentence: Don’t blow through the stop signs in life—pause and think.
Other Ways to Say: Disregard, Ignore signals
48. Brake check
Meaning: Hit the brakes suddenly (often to warn someone behind)
In a Sentence: He brake-checked the tailgater to teach him a lesson.
Other Ways to Say: Warn, Intimidate
49. Drag race
Meaning: A quick, illegal race
In a Sentence: Those teens were caught drag racing on the highway.
Other Ways to Say: Speeding contest, Street race
50. All revved up
Meaning: Very excited or ready
In a Sentence: We’re all revved up for the concert tonight!
Other Ways to Say: Pumped, Hyped
