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

Related article Blue Origin launches six tourists to the edge of space after nearly two-year hiatus Blue Origin also routinely launches its New Shepard rocket, a suborbital vehicle designed to carry groups of paying customers on 10-minute joyrides that brush the edge of space. —Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Feb. 2025

That crew, as first reported by The News, managed to take the trains out on a high-speed joyride along express tracks in Brooklyn. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2025

Police in New York are looking for a group of thieves who daringly stole a subway train in Brooklyn and took it for a joyride — and posted about their exploits on Instagram. —Ben Brachfeld, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025

The Vikings are on a franchise-unprecedented joyride behind reawakened quarterback Sam Darnold and a tenacious top defense under coordinator Brian Flores. —Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

joyride

noun

joy·​ride ˈjoi-ˌrīd 

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

joyrider

-ˌrīd-ər 

noun