Equipment and systems in cars and other road vehicles

ABS (noun)

anti-lock braking system

the power of a vehicle to increase its speed

a type of brake (=piece of equipment to make a vehicle stop or go more slowly) that works using compressed air, for example on a bus or truck

alternator (noun)

a piece of equipment, especially in a vehicle, that produces an electric current that keeps changing direction as it flows

anti-lock braking system (noun)

a piece of equipment in a car that allows you to keep control of the car when you stop it quickly. The equipment is often simply called ABS.

automatic transmission (noun)

a system in which the gears of a car change by themselves without any action by the driver

bottom gear (noun)

British the gear that you use for driving a vehicle very slowly

brake (noun)

the equipment in a car, bicycle, or other vehicle that you use for slowing down or stopping

brake fluid (noun)

a thick liquid used in the brakes of some vehicles

brake pad (noun)

the part of a brake that presses against a disc inside the wheel of a vehicle in order to stop the vehicle from moving

brake shoe (noun)

a curved metal part of a brake in some vehicles that presses on the wheel to slow it down

carburetor ()

the American spelling of carburettor

carburettor (noun)

the part of an engine, for example in some cars, that mixes air and petrol in order to provide power

catalytic converter (noun)

a piece of equipment fitted to a car in order to reduce the amount of poisonous gases that it sends into the air

central locking (noun)

an electronic system for locking all the doors of a car at the same time

choke (noun)

the part of a vehicle that helps it to start by reducing the amount of air going into the engine

choke (noun)

the reduction of air going into an engine, achieved by using a choke

clutch (noun)

a piece of equipment in a vehicle that you press with your foot when you change gear

coil (noun)

a part of a vehicle’s engine that supplies electricity to the spark plugs

condenser (noun)

physics a piece of equipment in a car engine that stores electricity

crankshaft (noun)

a long metal bar in a vehicle’s engine that is connected to the wheels and changes power into movement

cruise control (noun)

a piece of equipment in a car that keeps it travelling at the same fast speed for long distances

demister (noun)

British a piece of equipment in a car that blows out air to remove condensation from the windows

dipstick (noun)

a long stick used for measuring the oil in a car’s engine

disc brakes (noun)

in a vehicle, a type of brake in which two small hard surfaces press against a round metal disc attached to the vehicle’s wheel

distributor (noun)

the part of a car engine that sends electricity to the spark plugs

drive shaft (noun)

the part of a vehicle that carries power from the engine to the wheels

fan belt (noun)

a belt in a car engine that operates a fan that prevents the engine from getting too hot

first gear (noun)

the lowest gear in a vehicle, used for starting or moving slowly

four-wheel drive (noun)

a system that provides power to all four wheels of a vehicle

front-wheel drive (noun)

a system in which the engine supplies power to the front wheels of a car

fuel cell (noun)

a piece of equipment that produces power in an electric vehicle

fuel injection (noun)

a system in some cars that makes them go faster by forcing petrol into the cylinders

gearbox (noun)

a metal box that contains the gears of a vehicle, or the system of gears itself

hooter (noun)

British a piece of equipment on a car, bicycle etc, that makes a short loud sound that is used as a warning

ignition (noun)

the part of a car’s engine that makes the fuel start to burn so that the car can start

immobilizer (noun)

a piece of equipment that prevents a car from moving if someone tries to steal it

internal-combustion engine (noun)

a type of engine used in most cars

lock (noun)

British a steering wheel on full lock is turned as far as possible

manifold (noun)

a pipe through which gases pass into and out of a vehicle’s engine

motor (noun)

the part of a machine or vehicle that makes it work or move

neutral (noun)

the position of the gears in a car when the car cannot move

overdrive (noun)

an extra gear in a car that allows it to continue to travel fast while using less power

plug (noun)

a spark plug in a vehicle’s engine

power steering (noun)

a system that makes it easy to turn a car with small movements of the steering wheel

reverse (noun)

the position in which you put a gear in a vehicle to make it go backwards

reverse gear (noun)

reverse in a vehicle

shock (noun)

informal a shock absorber

shock absorber (noun)

an object fitted to the wheels of a vehicle that makes driving over rough roads more comfortable

spark plug (noun)

a small part in a car’s engine that creates a spark that makes the fuel burn

speed (noun)

a gear

steering (noun)

the parts of a vehicle that allow you to control its direction

steering column (noun)

the metal pole that connects a vehicle’s wheels to the steering wheel

suspension (noun)

the equipment that makes a vehicle move smoothly when it goes over lumps in the ground

tachograph (noun)

a piece of equipment in a truck or similar vehicle that records how fast and how far it has travelled

tachometer (noun)

a piece of equipment in a car or other vehicle that shows the speed of the engine, not the vehicle. The more usual word is rev counter.

throttle (noun)

a piece of equipment that controls how fast a vehicle is moving by controlling the amount of fuel going into the engine

timing (noun)

the regular times at which things happen in a series in a car engine

top gear (noun)

British the highest gear of a vehicle that you use when you are moving fast

transmission (noun)

the part of a vehicle that takes power from the engine to the wheels

turbocharger (noun)

a system that uses a turbine to make an engine more powerful

Synonyms and antonyms of Equipment and systems in cars and other road vehicles in British Thesaurus