Meanings
nounrunabout (plural runabouts)
plural runabouts
- Any of several small vehicles, especially a small motor car for use on short journeys.
The door being open, Stranleigh walked in unannounced. A two-seated runabout[…]stood by the window, where it could be viewed by passers-by. Further down the room rested a chassis, […]
1913, Robert Barr, chapter 2, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad - datedA motor car having a single row of seats.
- historicalA light, open, American horse-drawn vehicle with four large wheels.
- literatureA small, relatively maneuverable spacecraft or shuttlecraft.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan open automobile having a front seat and a rumble seat
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Deverbal from run about.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
runabout. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/runabout
MLA
“runabout.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/runabout. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “runabout,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/runabout.
Source: runabout on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.