Meaning & use
estate car
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A passenger car whose roof extends back over a large luggage area, which is reached through a door or hatch at the rear.
Grammar: Countable: an estate car, two estate cars. Often shortened to estate.
We bought an estate car so the dog could travel in the back.
The estate car was loaded up with camping gear.
He folded down the rear seats of the estate car to fit the wardrobe.
Word forms
| plural | estate cars |
|---|
Common combinations
- drive an estate car
- My grandfather still drives an old estate car.
- a family estate car
- They chose a family estate car with plenty of room.
- the back of the estate car
- The luggage went in the back of the estate car.
- a diesel estate car
- She traded in her small hatchback for a diesel estate car.
- load an estate car
- We loaded the estate car the night before the trip.
Synonyms and how they differ
- station wagon
- Station wagon is the usual American term for the same type of vehicle, so it would sound unusual in British speech.
- hatchback
- A hatchback is similar but generally shorter, with a less boxy rear and less luggage space than an estate car.
- estate
- Estate is the shorter everyday form that British speakers often use when it is clear they mean a car.
Word family
Commonly confused: estate car or estate agent?
estate car vs estate agent
An estate agent is a person who sells houses, not a vehicle; the two phrases only share the word estate.
Practice
A British family needs a vehicle with a long, flat luggage space behind the back seats. Which would suit them?
Choose one answer.
An estate car has an extended rear section for luggage. Coupes, convertibles and roadsters generally have little cargo space.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “estate car”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.