understeer

[ noun uhn-der-steer; verb uhn-der-steer ]

noun
  1. a handling characteristic of an automotive vehicle that causes it to turn less sharply than the driver intends because the front wheels slide to the outside of the turn before the rear wheels lose traction.

verb (used without object)
  1. (of an automotive vehicle) to undergo understeer, especially excessively.

Origin of understeer

1
First recorded in 1935–40; under- + steer1

Words Nearby understeer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for understeer

understeer

/ (ˈʌndəˌstɪə) /


verb(intr)
  1. (of a vehicle) to turn less sharply, for a particular movement of the steering wheel, than anticipated

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