Meanings
plural elephant races
- roadA situation in which one truck tries to overtake another at a slightly higher speed, blocking the road for passenger car drivers behind.
Merging too early could cause their trailer to impact against the slower truck. Which means elephant races aren’t over until both trucks are back in the travel lane.
2021 September 9, “The Truth About 18-Wheeler Elephant Races”, in Wood Law Firm, archived from the original on 29 Jan 20262 more examples
The faster trucker often feels forced to get out of their lane to maintain speed, but this causes an elephant race. At a difference of 3-5 MPH, it might take several minutes before the faster driver has both passed the slower truck and moved far enough ahead to get back in their lane.
2020 November 12, “The Elephant Race Explained”, in Gulf South Law Firm, archived from the original on 29 Jan 2026To help explain further, we need to understand what an elephant race means for truck drivers. […] Many truck drivers choose to pass, and elephant races are the result.
2022 January 18, “WHAT DOES AN ELEPHANT RACE MEAN FOR TRUCK DRIVERS?”, in Morris & Dewett, archived from the original on 29 Jan 2026
Origin
- GermanElefantenrennen
- Englishelephant race
Calque of German Elefantenrennen.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish elefantvæddeløb
- elefantvæddeløbelephant race
German Elefantenrennen
- Elefantenrennenelephant race
Cite this entry
elephant race. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elephant%20race
“elephant race.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elephant%20race. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “elephant race,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elephant%20race.
Source: elephant race on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.