Phrase guide

pace car

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A car that other cars drive behind before a race starts.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, motor-racing, racing, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A car that paces the race cars to keep them running at a slower pace due to race conditions, and which the other cars cannot pass.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, motor-racing, racing, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a high-performance car that leads a parade of competing cars through the pace lap and then pulls off the course

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: car, auto, automobile, machine, motorcar

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: lähtöauto — car that others drive behind before race start