motor pool

noun

1. a standby fleet of motor vehicles available for temporary use by appropriate personnel, as at a military or governmental installation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of motor pool¹

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Example Sentences

After the war, she spent several years as a translator for United States forces in Austria and also ran the motor pool for a time.

From New York Times

“We all had to be broken in, so to speak, to do what had to be done,” said Davis, who mainly worked as a motor pool driver.

From Seattle Times

Even before the United States entered World War II, Army brass knew there was a deficiency in the U.S. motor pool: Our trucks were too big for quick, stealthy movement.

From Washington Post

“Free cars,” one Talib had messaged me days earlier from the front seat of some armored S.U.V. that had belonged to a contracting company or came from an abandoned military motor pool.

From New York Times

The guard and the reserves keep their vehicles in a common motor pool.

From Los Angeles Times