petrolhead

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petrolhead

Where it comes from

From petrol + -head.

noun petrolheads

colloquial A person who is overly reliant on the use of their car, resisting any suggestion to use other means of transport.
Similar: car brain
Commonwealth, colloquial, derogatory A bogan who is overly fond of their car or motorbike and enjoys showing it off and making noise with it. 2000, Chris Baker, Kokopu Dreams, Huia Publishers, New Zealand, page 87, There were four of them, old-style petrolheads, with greasy jeans and leather jackets. Each had a rifle trained on the pair. They looked barely out of their teens.
Commonwealth, colloquial A person involved in motor racing as either participant or dedicated spectator.
Similar: revhead
Ireland, UK, colloquial A car enthusiast. 2009, Stuart Prebble, Grumpy Old Drivers: The Official Handbook, unnumbered page, In the early years it had been very much a series for people I believe are known by the curiously unappealing term ‘petrolheads’. Since most petrolheads are probably out in the evenings, burning up the rubber or the ta
Similar: motorhead, gearhead

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MLA

"petrolhead." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/petrolhead. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

petrolhead. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/petrolhead

Chicago

"petrolhead." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/petrolhead.

BibTeX

@misc{petrolhead_2026,
  title = {petrolhead},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/petrolhead},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}