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Glite Dictionary
hatchback door

hatchback door

3.7
A rear car door that lifts up to allow access to the storage area
  • noun
  • /ˈhæʧbæk dɔr/
translation icon : puerta trasera
  • After the concert, they opened the hatchback door to retrieve their camping gear from the car.

Examples

  • A plainclothes man riding shotgun jumped out and, hunched over, scooted to the hatchback door.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • She opened the hatchback door to load her groceries into the back of the car.

  • The hatchback door provides easy access to the cargo area, making it convenient for families.

Synonyms

hatch
vshatchback door
140 3.7

A cover that closes an opening on a car or boat

refers specifically to a sloping rear car door that opens upward for cargo access
liftgate
vshatchback door
  • US
1 5.6

A rear door on a car or SUV that opens upward to reach the back area

is used specifically for small rear-opening cars rather than all vehicles

Surface Forms

hatchback door singular
hatchback doors plural

Morphology

hatchback + door

The phrase 'hatchback door' is directly and transparently composed from 'hatchback' (a car with a rear door that opens upward) and 'door' (an opening/cover), so its referent — the rear door of a hatchback — is immediately derivable. This is a straightforward noun+noun modification following regular English composition patterns and thus accessible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

The term hatchback door comes from hatch, a word for a small lid or opening, and back, meaning the rear of the car. Think of a lid at the back that lifts up to let you reach the space for bags, so it means 'a car door at the rear that opens upwards'.