joyride

noun

1. A ride in a vehicle taken solely for pleasure or enjoyment, especially a vehicle ride taken with no particular goal or purpose and just for the pleasure or enjoyment of a vehicle ride.

   “Launched last March, the H.C.C. is similar to a country club-except, instead of playing golf, members take joyrides or leisurely weekend trips in any of the top-of-the-line cars housed in a Century City garage.”

   “It's called the Beast for a reason: You literally hold on to your hat -- and your sunglasses, and anything else that isn't secured -- for a 30-minute joyride. Painted to look like a bright green, sharp-toothed shark, this 70-foot racing boat zips down the Hudson, skips over waves and zooms past the Empire State Building and other landmarks at up to 45 mph.”

   “Joyrides and hikes: Commuters keep these 11 new Thomson-East Coast Line stations buzzing on the first day of operations”

2. An instance of driving a motor vehicle in a carefree or reckless manner, especially a vehicle which has been taken without the permission of the owner.

   “Thieves took three go-karts for a joyride through the streets of Norwich.”

   ““A joyride gone terribly wrong,” Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said during a news conference in Steilacoom, which is about 3 miles from the island.”

3. (figuratively)A very pleasant experience.

   “Hello, you fool, I love you / Come on, join the joyride”

   “Treat your taste buds. A good meal is a three-hour joyride for the senses — as rich as visiting an art gallery and as stimulating as a good massage.”

verb

1. (intransitive)To take a joyride.

   “You joyride around for a while listening / to the radio, and then abandon death, walk / away, and leave death for the police / to find.”

   “His parents were out shopping and he used the opportunity to snatch the keys to the 1999 Suzuki Esteem and joyride around the neighborhood.”