Meanings
plural tyre kickers · alternative tire kicker
- idiomaticA person who pretends to be interested in purchasing an item (especially a car), but who has no intention of buying it.
"Some exhibitions charge a ticket price to separate the tyre-kickers from the genuine buyers," Doherty says.
2008, Business Review Weekly, volume 30, numbers 9-12, page 371 more example
If you want get ^([sic]) an agent excited, give him or her a listing in the "best house to sell" category. All agents love that — and why wouldn't they? The product is ready for the market, and the only challenge will be negotiating a good price and sorting serious buyers from the tyre kickers!
2011, Andrew Winter, No-Nonsense Guide to Buying and Selling PropertySynonyms: looker
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who pretends to be interested in purchasing an item (especially a car), but who has no intention of buying it.
Origin
From the act of kicking the tyres of a car as part of the inspection.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish renkaanpotkija
- renkaanpotkijaperson with no actual purchasing intent
Cite this entry
tyre kicker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tyre%20kicker
“tyre kicker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tyre%20kicker. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tyre kicker,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tyre%20kicker.
Source: tyre kicker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.