Truck Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms truck 1 American [truhk] / trʌk /

noun

1. any of various forms of vehicle for carrying goods and materials, usually consisting of a single self-propelled unit but also often composed of a trailer vehicle hauled by a tractor unit.

2. any of various wheeled frames used for transporting heavy objects.

3. Also called hand truck. a barrowlike frame with low wheels, a ledge at the bottom, and handles at the top, used to move heavy luggage, packages, cartons, etc.

4. a low, rectangular frame on which heavy boxes, crates, trunks, etc., are moved; a dolly.

5. a tiered framework on casters.

6. a group of two or more pairs of wheels in one frame, for supporting one end of a railroad car, locomotive, etc.

7. Movies. a dolly on which a camera is mounted.

8. British. a freight car having no top.

9. a small wooden wheel, cylinder, or roller, as on certain old-style gun carriages.

10. Nautical. a circular or square piece of wood fixed on the head of a mast or the top of a flagstaff, usually containing small holes for signal halyards.

verb (used with object)

1. to transport by truck.

2. to put on a truck.

3. Movies. dolly.

verb (used without object)

1. to convey articles or goods on a truck.

2. to drive a truck.

3. Movies. dolly.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or for a truck or trucks.

   a truck drive; truck tires.

truck 2 American [truhk] / trʌk /

noun

1. vegetables raised for the market.

2. miscellaneous articles of little worth; odds and ends.

3. Informal. trash or rubbish.

   That's a lot of truck.

4. Informal. dealings.

   I'll have no truck with him.

5. barter.

6. a bargain or deal.

7. the payment of wages in goods instead of money.

8. truck system.

verb (used with object)

1. to exchange; barter; trade.

verb (used without object)

1. to exchange commodities; barter.

2. to traffic; have dealings.

truck 3 American [truhk] / trʌk /

noun

1. a shuffling jitterbug step.

verb (used without object)

1. to dance with such steps.

2. Slang. to walk or stroll, especially in a jaunty manner.

   trucking down the avenue on a Sunday afternoon.

truck 1 British / trʌk /

noun

1. a vehicle for carrying freight on a railway; wagon

2. Also called (esp in Britain): lorry. a large motor vehicle designed to carry heavy loads, esp one with a flat platform

3. a frame carrying two or more pairs of wheels and usually springs and brakes, attached under an end of a railway coach, etc

4. nautical

   1. a disc-shaped block fixed to the head of a mast having sheave holes for receiving signal halyards

   2. the head of a mast itself

5. any wheeled vehicle used to move goods

"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

verb

1. to convey (goods) in a truck

2. (intr) to drive a truck

"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 truck 2 British / trʌk /

noun

1. commercial goods

2. dealings (esp in the phrase have no truck with )

3. commercial exchange

4. archaic payment of wages in kind

5. miscellaneous articles

6. informal rubbish

7. vegetables grown for market

"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

verb

1. archaic to exchange (goods); barter

2. (intr) to traffic or negotiate

"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 truck Idioms

1. see have no truck with.

Other Word Forms

• truckable adjective

Etymology

Origin of truck1

First recorded in 1605–15; back formation from truckle “wheel”; truckle

Origin of truck2

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English truken, trukien “to exchange,” from Old French troquer, trochier “to exchange” and Medieval Latin trocāre “to barter”; further origin unknown

Origin of truck3

First recorded in 1935–40; special use of truck 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“From its tech to its literal abundance of power, this electric pickup truck is fast, capable off-road, and the best-looking in its class,” wrote Gabriel Vega Cortés, editor of vehicle testing.

From Barron's

Footage aired on state-linked Iranian media showed cruise missiles being launched from trucks along the coast and from boats as an oil tanker sailed in the background.

From The Wall Street Journal

A news release touting AI technology to boost trucking efficiency appears to have triggered a selloff that cost investors billions.

From The Wall Street Journal

When they got the evacuation order, Poer packed his bags and started taking paintings off the wall, putting them in his truck.

From Los Angeles Times

India generated nearly 1.5 million tonnes of e‑waste last year, according to official data -- enough to fill 200,000 garbage trucks -- though experts believe the real figure is likely to be twice as much.

From Barron's

Related Words

• car
• crate
• freighter
• jeep
• lorry
• pickup
• rig
• van
• wagon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.