runabout
runabout Lexical Profile
runabout Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small, economical automobile used chiefly for short local journeys and everyday errands.
"She bought a reliable little electric runabout for her daily commute and grocery trips."
A small, light, open motorboat typically holding four to eight people, used for recreation, cruising, or water sports.
"They spent the sunny afternoon cruising across the lake in a vintage wooden runabout."
A light, open, four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage or wagon with a single seat.
"In the late nineteenth century, the doctor made house calls along country roads in a horse-drawn runabout."
A person who wanders or roams from place to place without settling down; a gadabout.
"Known in his youth as a restless runabout, he eventually settled down in a quiet coastal village."
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the mid-16th century as a noun formed from the verbal phrase 'run about', originally referring to a vagabond or wanderer before being applied to light horse-drawn carriages, motorcars, and small powerboats in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.