fender bender

or fender-bender

noun

, Informal.

1. a collision between motor vehicles in which there is only minor damage.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fender bender¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

What may have once been a simple fender bender has “turned into a major claim,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

On one particular trip late last month he drove through a red light into a fender bender.

From Salon

Then, when I departed said strip mall and made a left-hand turn across four lanes of traffic, I hit another car—it was worse than a fender bender, but no one was hurt.

From Slate

“A fender bender in the past didn’t have all the sensors and cameras.”

From Seattle Times

“A fender bender in the past didn’t have all the sensors and cameras.”

From Seattle Times