Meaning & use
all-terrain
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Designed to travel over many kinds of ground, including rough or uneven surfaces.
Grammar: Comes before a noun and is not usually used after a verb: 'an all-terrain vehicle', not 'the vehicle is all-terrain' in everyday speech.
Patterns
- all-terrain vehicle
- all-terrain tires
- all-terrain bike
They bought an all-terrain vehicle for driving on the beach.
These all-terrain tires handle mud and gravel easily.
The rescue team used an all-terrain truck to reach the village.
Common combinations
- all-terrain vehicle
- The park rangers patrol the dunes in an all-terrain vehicle.
- all-terrain tires
- He fitted all-terrain tires before the mountain trip.
- all-terrain bike
- An all-terrain bike is heavier but much tougher than a road bike.
- all-terrain capability
- The new model's all-terrain capability makes it popular with farmers.
- all-terrain footwear
- For the hike, bring all-terrain footwear with good grip.
Synonyms and how they differ
- off-road
- Describes vehicles and driving away from normal roads; 'all-terrain' stresses ability to cope with many different surfaces.
- rugged
- Describes strong, tough things or ground; it says nothing about moving across different surfaces.
- cross-country
- About traveling across open land rather than on roads; 'all-terrain' focuses on the ground type, not the route.
Opposites
Word family
- terrain noun
- the physical features of an area of land.
- terrain vehicle phrase
- a vehicle built to travel over rough ground.
Commonly confused: all-terrain or all-terrain vs. off-road?
all-terrain vs all-terrain vs. off-road
'Off-road' simply means not on public roads; 'all-terrain' means the vehicle or gear can handle many kinds of ground, including sand, mud and rock.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'all-terrain' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'All-terrain' is an adjective placed before a noun such as 'vehicle'. It cannot describe food or feelings, and it is not a verb, so the other options fail.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “all-terrain”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.