a car having a hatchback door
"The family chose a compact hatchback because its rear door opens upward to provide easy access to the cargo area."
a sloping rear car door that is lifted to open
"The driver opened the hatchback by lifting the sloping rear door to load groceries into the trunk."
A car with a sloping, hinged rear door that opens upwards.
"The family decided to buy a hatchback because its sloping, hinged rear door made it easy to load all the groceries inside."
In plain English: A hatchback is a car with a rear door that lifts up to give you easy access to the cargo area behind the back seats.
"We decided to buy a hatchback because its trunk offers more space for our luggage than a sedan."
Usage: Avoid using this term to describe the vehicle's body style in formal writing; prefer "compact car" or specific makes and models instead. It is also distinct from station wagons, which feature a separate trunk compartment rather than an integrated cargo area.
The word is a straightforward combination of "hatch" and "back," describing an automobile with a rear door that opens upward to access the trunk area. It entered English as a descriptive term for this specific car body style without undergoing any significant meaning shift from its component parts.