Meaning & use
roadster
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A small, low sports car with two seats and a roof that can be folded down or removed.
Grammar: Countable: one roadster, two roadsters; often used after a brand name, as in 'a Mazda roadster'.
Patterns
- a classic roadster
- drive a roadster
- a two-seat roadster
He keeps a red 1960s roadster in the garage and only takes it out on sunny weekends.
The new electric roadster can go from zero to sixty in under three seconds.
She sold her roadster because it was too small for a family.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A light, comfortable bicycle designed for riding on paved roads.
Grammar: Countable and now rather dated in this sense; most people today say 'road bike'.
Patterns
- ride a roadster
- an old roadster
My grandfather still rides the roadster he bought in 1955.
The shop restores vintage roadsters and sells them to collectors.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A horse kept for riding or driving on roads rather than for racing or farm work.
Grammar: Countable; this sense is old-fashioned and mainly appears in historical writing.
Patterns
- a sturdy roadster
The farmer hitched his roadster to the cart and set off for town.
In the 19th century a roadster was a common sight on country lanes.
Word forms
| plural | roadsters |
|---|
Common combinations
- classic roadster
- The museum has a classic roadster from the 1930s on display.
- two-seat roadster
- A two-seat roadster is fun but not very practical.
- electric roadster
- The company unveiled an electric roadster with a 600-mile range.
- convertible roadster
- He bought a convertible roadster for weekend drives along the coast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- convertible
- Convertible is the general word for any car with a folding roof, including four-seaters, while roadster specifically suggests a small two-seater.
- sports car
- Sports car is broader and can have a fixed roof; a roadster is always open-top.
- runabout
- Runabout is an old-fashioned term for a small light car, not necessarily open; roadster is more specific.
Word family
- road noun
- A wide way for vehicles to travel on.
Commonly confused: roadster or roadie? roadster or roadster (bicycle)?
roadster vs roadie
A roadie is a person who sets up equipment for a band on tour; a roadster is a car or bicycle.
roadster vs roadster (bicycle)
In cycling, roadster is an old-fashioned term; the modern word for a fast road bicycle is 'road bike'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'roadster' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A roadster is a small open sports car, so driving one with the top down fits. Option A confuses it with 'roadie', B contradicts the two-seat open design, and D is nonsense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “roadster”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.