Meaning & use
co-driver
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablesport
In rallying, the person beside the driver who reads route notes and helps navigate the car.
Grammar: Countable: a co-driver, two co-drivers. Often used with the definite article when talking about a specific team member.
Patterns
- the co-driver of a rally car
- act as co-driver
- co-driver's notes
The co-driver called the next corner too late, and they lost several seconds.
She has been his co-driver for three seasons and knows every stage by heart.
A good co-driver must stay calm and keep reading the pace notes at high speed.
nouncountable
A second person who shares the driving on a long journey, especially to keep the main driver alert.
Grammar: Countable and common in everyday travel talk: I'll be co-driver on the way back.
Patterns
- be someone's co-driver
- take turns as co-driver
- co-driver on a long trip
On the drive to Scotland, my brother was the co-driver and kept me awake with coffee and conversation.
We agreed that whoever is co-driver pays for the snacks.
She offered to be co-driver for the night shift so I could rest.
Word forms
| plural | co-drivers |
|---|
Common combinations
- rally co-driver
- He hired an experienced rally co-driver for the mountain stages.
- act as co-driver
- For the first leg, Anna will act as co-driver.
- co-driver's seat
- From the co-driver's seat, you can see the road map clearly.
- experienced co-driver
- An experienced co-driver can make a real difference in bad weather.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- co-drive verb
- To share the driving of a vehicle with another person.
- driver noun
- The person who controls a vehicle.
Commonly confused: co-driver or codriver? co-driver or co-pilot?
co-driver vs codriver
Codriver is a common spelling mistake; the standard form has a hyphen: co-driver.
co-driver vs co-pilot
A co-pilot is the second pilot in an aircraft, not a person in a car; use co-driver for cars.
Practice
In a rally car, what is the main job of the co-driver?
Choose one answer.
The co-driver sits beside the driver and reads pace notes to guide the car, so option 1 fits. Option 0 confuses the co-driver with the driver: in rallying the driver steers while the co-driver navigates.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “co-driver”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.