Definition

Noun: A Humvee is a high mobility, multipurpose, military vehicle with four-wheel drive. It is a light, highly durable truck designed for a wide variety of military roles, including troop transport, weapons platform, and ambulance service.

Usage

The term "Humvee" is a proprietary name (from High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV) that has become a common noun for this type of military vehicle. It is used to refer to the specific vehicle model and, by extension, similar-looking rugged utility vehicles.

Examples

• The soldiers patrolled the desert road in a Humvee.
• The convoy consisted of three trucks and two Humvees.
• A Humvee equipped with a machine gun provided cover for the advancing troops.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in military, journalistic, and historical contexts to describe standard U.S. military transport from the 1980s onward.
• In civilian contexts, it may refer to the civilian adaptation, the Hummer, though this is a distinct vehicle.

Variants and Related Words

• HMMWV: The official military acronym for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle; the full technical term for a Humvee.
• Hummer: (Trademark) The brand name for civilian vehicles derived from the military Humvee design.

Synonyms

• Military vehicle
• Jeep (specifically for earlier, similar light military vehicles)
• Utility truck

Notes

"Humvee" is a singular noun. Its standard plural form is "Humvees." It is typically capitalized as it originated as a trademark, though common usage often renders it in lowercase ("humvee").

Noun

1. a high mobility, multipurpose, military vehicle with four-wheel drive