Vehicles: English Vocabulary List

to slowly come to a complete stop after gradually losing speed or power

"The old car ground to a halt."

"The old machinery ground to a halt after years of use without proper maintenance or repairs."

to accelerate very fast, particularly so that smoke can be seen coming out from the tires

"He loves to burn rubber daily."

"The race car driver decided to burn rubber as he sped away from the starting line."

to have a tendency to drive very fast

"He has a lead foot always."

"My brother has a lead foot, so he gets many speeding tickets every year."

to take the front passenger seat in a vehicle such as a car or truck

"I will sit shotgun in the front seat."

"I called shotgun so I get to sit in the front seat while my brother has to sit in the back."

a car, particularly one that is very desirable or expensive

"He showed off his new set of wheels."

"He was so proud of his new set of wheels, a classic convertible he had always wanted."

to take a vehicle for a brief, leisurely ride

"Let's take a spin around the block."

"After fixing the engine, he wanted to take his vintage car for a spin around town."

to state that one will be sitting in the seat next to the driver in a vehicle

"I call shotgun for the trip."

"The children ran to the car and the older one called shotgun before his younger sister could claim the front seat."

to gradually slow down and come to a complete stop

"The car did grind to a halt."

"Due to a lack of funding, the ambitious project eventually had to grind to a halt."