A car hood is the metal part that covers the engine of an automobile. The term car hood is a North American term, used primarily in America and Canada. Hood comes from the Old English word hod which means a hood, a soft covering for the head. Interestingly, hood is used by British English-speakers to refer to the waterproof cloth top covering the passenger compartment of a car or pram.
A car bonnet is the metal part that covers the engine of an automobile. The term car bonnet is a British term, used primarily in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, India, New Zealand, Australia, etc. Bonnet comes from the Old French word bonet, which means cloth used as a headdress.
Examples
After sliding down the muddy hill to get into the ravine, Dozer’s father jumped up on the hood of the car. (The Chillicothe Gazette)
She flew up onto the hood of the car and onto the car’s windshield before falling from the car and landing in the middle of Kidder Avenue. (The Daily Republic)
Her truck hit the front of the patrol car and went up onto the hood of the car while an officer was in the vehicle. (The Post Register)
When Bromley tried to drive away, the woman latched onto the car’s hood but was hurled off as he sped away, the sources said. (The New York Daily News)
It means a guy with longhorns on his car hood sideswiped Trump’s limo and left some paint, and they’ll both have to hit the gas in the next states on the presidential voting calendar. (The Des Moines Register)
The Ninh Binh town police said Thursday they are filing criminal charges against a 36-year-old man for driving 30km with a police officer clinging to his car hood last week. (The Thanh Nien Daily)