snowmobile

American

[snoh-muh-beel] / ˈsnoʊ məˌbil /

noun

Also called skimobile, snowcat. a motor vehicle with a revolving tread in the rear and steerable skis in the front, for traveling over snow.

verb (used without object)

snowmobiled, snowmobiling

to operate or ride in a snowmobile.

snowmobile British

/ ˈsnəʊməˌbiːl /

noun

1. a small open motor vehicle for travelling on snow, steered by two skis at the front and driven by a caterpillar track underneath
2. Also called: bombardier. a larger closed motor vehicle with two skis at the front and a track at each side

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

snowmobiler noun

Etymology

Origin of snowmobile

First recorded in 1920–25; snow + -mobile

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The mayor of the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen—around four hours from Barentsburg by snowmobile—swept his hand over a map of the Arctic Circle on a recent morning.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ringed by forest-tundra and bogs, its district centre can only be reached from May to October by river boat or vehicles with tracks, and in winter only by snowmobile or helicopter.

From BBC

In 2009, she shattered her kneecap in a snowmobiling accident and required eight surgeries, but she recovered in time to compete at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times

"A snowmobile would quickly break down under these conditions," the 55-year-old Dane said.

From Barron's

The Sunday before last, Blake DeBok snowmobiled out to nine wild horses he was told were stranded in deep snow north of Mammoth Lakes.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023