armored car
34
3.5
- noun
- /ˈɑrmərd kɑr/
- US
:
furgón blindado
- Two harmless-looking old guards are calmly loading bags of cash into an armored car parked in front of a local bank.
- an armored car heist
- an armored car robbery
- rob an armored car
We saw the big spy, but he was driving an armored car and we knew he was armed.
- We saw the big spy, but he was driving an armored car and we knew he was armed.
Examples
-
An armored car arrived at the jewelry store to pick up the valuable merchandise.
-
There are developments tonight in the case of the missing armored car money.
-
Seven armored cars have gone in through the gates now.
-
At street level, an armored car has pulled up in front of the Globe offices.
Fiction book (1992) -
Three security guards with rifles climb out of the armored car, followed by a fourth who has an oblong box handcuffed to his wrist.
Fiction book (1992) -
The security team used an armored car to transport the cash safely to the bank.
-
The company deployed an armored car to ensure the safe delivery of payroll to its employees.
Synonyms
22
3.4
A vehicle with heavy metal protection that keeps people safe from attack, like a tank or police van
How Armored
- US
34
3.5
- Specialized
22
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a car protected by armor' is directly and compositionally derived from 'armored' (protected by armor) + 'car' (vehicle), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a vehicle fitted with armor; the military/armed usage is a straightforward contextual extension. This noun compound follows regular compounding patterns found across languages, making it immediately comprehensible rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Armored car comes from the simple image of a car wrapped in metal armored plates and watched by guards so thieves could not take the money inside. That's why it means 'a vehicle that securely carries money or valuables'.