Why Are Cars Called Whips? [Here’s the Truth!]

A “whip” is a strange word to use for a car. However, it’s common to hear it used to talk about a car, such as ‘check out my new whip.’ Today I will explain why whip is used as slang for a car and how it became so popular.

Generally speaking, whip is a common term used in drifting cars. Drifting is a type of driving where a skid is induced by suddenly making the rear of a car ‘whip out’ around a corner by turning the steering wheel.

Many people online claim it’s because cars replaced a horse cart as a form of transport, where a whip was used to control the horse. But, this is unlikely because its usage as a slang word for car began in the 1980s.

There are 3 potential origins for why the word whip is used to mean a car, below I’ll explain all of them, and why drifting cars is without a doubt the origin, of whip being used to mean car.

How and Why Whip Became a Popular Word for Car

If you aren’t too familiar with drifting, here’s a video that shows what whipping a car around a corner is in drifting:

Hip-hop artists have very much popularized the word whip in the lyrics of their songs. And whip is a commonly used slang word for a car in hip-hop culture. Songs are catchy and often heard by vast percentages of the population.

Therefore, very popular hip-hop songs that say use whip to mean car, could easily be responsible for spreading its usage far and wide.

However, there are three commonly believed reasons why whip is a slang word for a car. They are:

A dictionary definition of a ‘whip’ is to ‘move fast in a specified direction’ – which a car does.

Because a car replaced a horse and car, which typically used a whip to control a horse’s acceleration, deceleration and direction.
When drifting a car, you whip the back of the car around a corner.

According to the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, ‘whip’ is used as slang for a car, but also for the verb of driving a car. There is no direct evidence currently available for when exactly it started to be used, and who the first person was to coin the term.

When whip started being used as slang for car

But, the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary states it began being used in the late 20th century, which is the period from the year 1900 until the year 2000. So therefore, it started being used in the 1980s and 1990s or so.

If you’ve listened to a few hip hop songs since about the year 2000, you will notice that the word ‘whip’ is used A LOT to refer to a car. However, hip-hop songs that mention cars before the year 2000 don’t use this word. Based on my research, from around the year 1980 to 2000, no usage of the word ‘whip’ occurred as a word for a car in any pop-culture references.

But there are SO many hip-hop songs out there that a song older than 1980 may be used the word whip to refer to a car. If you are aware of one, please let me know in the comments for this article.

Because of the time frame when whip started to be used as a slang word for car (the 1980s and 1990s and onwards), in my opinion, makes it doubtful that the reason it was first used as slang is because a car replaced a horse and cart. Cars first began being widely available in the 1920s (source).

It is possible whip was used as slang in the 1920s, was then forgotten and later became revived and became popular again in the 1980s and 90s. In my opinion, it’s less likely to be the origin of the word whip. And there is no concrete evidence to suggest it. Other than the opinions of various anonymous people on the internet.

Slang is also well known for being a cool and trendy word for something. Therefore, it’s far more likely it was used to describe the whipping action of the rear of a car that happens when you drift a car around a corner. Which is seen as being a cool maneuver and something only skilled ‘cool’ drivers can pull off.

The alternate dictionary definition of whip, ‘move fast in a specified direction’, is also unlikely to be the source of whip being used as a slang word for car. It simply doesn’t make much sense based on how the word whip is used in that context.

For example, in this usage of the word whip, a person would say something like ‘his hand whipped out and grabbed the ball’. Or, something similar. It seems like a bit of a stretch to see how it could have lead to it being used as a slang for car. There is also no concrete evidence to suggest this is the origin for the word whip as a slang for car.

Therefore, all signs point to the fact that it’s because of whip being a common term in drifting. It’s also a common word still used today to refer to driving a car around a corner.

What Does It Mean When Someone Says Nice Whip

A somewhat common expression is to say nice whip. The most common meaning for whip is a long rubber device used for controlling livestock. But, if you’re not out on a farm and someone says ‘nice whip,’ here’s what they mean.

Nice whip means ‘nice car.’ Whip is a slang word for a car that became popular from the 1980s onwards. It’s thought to have originated from drifting, where a common maneuver is to whip the rear (tail) of the car around a corner, causing the car to skid and drift sideways.

Other common expressions using the word whip are ‘check out my whip,’ meaning check out my car. And ‘my brand new whip,’ meaning my brand new car.

In What Cities Do They Call Cars Whips

Calling a car a whip is not typical in all English-speaking countries and cities. However, unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you’ve likely heard it a few times. Here’s where in the world calling a car a whip is the most common.

In general, in New York, California, and Texas. However, whip is commonly used to mean car throughout the USA. It is not a common word for a car in other English-speaking countries. It’s also a very widely used slang word in hip-hop music and culture.

Here’s a video from a New York-based English teach name Bruno, where he explains that whip is commonly used in New York to mean car:

In Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Canada, it’s commonly not used as slang for a car. Other than amongst people who are into hip-hop culture or like hip-hop songs.