joyride

noun

joy·​ride ˈjȯi-ˌrīd 

1

: a ride taken for pleasure (as in a car or aircraft)

especially : an automobile ride marked by reckless driving (as in a stolen car)

2

: conduct or action resembling a joyride especially in disregard of cost or consequences

joyride intransitive verb

joyrider

ˈjȯi-ˌrī-dər 

noun

joyriding noun

Examples of joyride in a Sentence

Some teenager stole my car and took it for a joyride.

Recent Examples on the Web

Another resident, Jennifer Arnold, says someone needs to take accountability for the juvenile crime after witnessing the video of the children's joyride. —CBS News, 2 May 2026

The collision and unauthorized train movement comes just days after two trains were taken for a two-stop joyride along the Queens Blvd. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026

In the instance that fueled the witness-dissuasion conviction, a teen boy reportedly suffered a serious head injury after drunkenly hanging from an SUV then falling during a joyride in the high school parking lot. —Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026

For occasional joyrides, lighter, fresher colors will show less wear. —Beth Livesay, AJC.com, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for joyride

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied

Kids Definition

joyride

noun

joy·​ride ˈjoi-ˌrīd 

: a ride taken for pleasure and often marked by reckless driving

joyrider

-ˌrīd-ər 

noun