truck
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a large, strong motor vehicle used for carrying heavy goods or materials.
n.a heavy motor vehicle designed for the transport of goods, materials, or equipment; equivalent to the British 'lorry'.
Simple“The delivery truck arrived at the supermarket with fresh fruit and vegetables.”
In context“The logistics company invested in a new fleet of electric trucks to reduce their carbon footprint during long-haul deliveries.”
UsageIn British English, 'lorry' is the standard term for this vehicle, though 'truck' is becoming more common due to American influence.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.an open railway car used for carrying goods like coal or stone.
n.a railway vehicle used for the carriage of goods, typically an open-topped wagon.
Simple“The steam engine pulled twenty trucks full of coal through the valley.”
In context“The historical society restored several Victorian-era railway trucks to demonstrate how minerals were transported from the mines to the docks.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the metal part under a skateboard that holds the wheels.
n.the metal axle assembly attached to the underside of a skateboard or roller skate deck.
Simple“He tightened the trucks on his skateboard to make it more stable at high speeds.”
In context“Advanced skaters often customise their trucks with softer bushings to allow for sharper turns and better technical control.”
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.dealings or a relationship with someone, usually used in a negative way.
n.social or commercial dealings; almost exclusively used in the idiom 'to have no truck with'.
Simple“The honest politician said he would have no truck with the corrupt developers.”
In context“The traditionalist headmaster made it clear he would have no truck with the proposed changes to the school's curriculum.”
UsageUsually appears in the fixed phrase 'have no truck with', meaning to refuse to be involved with something.
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
v.to move goods from one place to another using a truck.
v.to convey or transport goods via a heavy motor vehicle.
Simple“They trucked the equipment across the country for the music festival.”
In context“The construction firm had to truck in thousands of tons of gravel to stabilise the marshy ground before building could begin.”
- 06 C1 Advanced
v.to keep moving or keep doing something, even if it is difficult.
v.to proceed or persist in an activity; often used in the phrase 'keep on trucking'.
Simple“Even though he was tired, he decided to just keep on trucking until the job was done.”
In context“Despite the initial setbacks in the research project, the team decided to keep trucking until they found a viable solution.”
truck vs lorry — Lorry is the standard British term for a heavy goods vehicle, while truck is the American equivalent.
Perhaps a shortening of truckle, related to Latin trochus (“iron hoop, wheel”) from Ancient Greek τροχός (trokhós).
From Middle English truken, troken, trukien, from Old English trucian (“to fail, run short, deceive, disappoint”), from Proto-West Germanic trokōn (“to fail, miss, lack”), from Proto-Indo-European derew-, derwu- (“to tear, wrap, reap”), from Proto-Indo-European der- (“to flay, split”). Cognate with Middle Low German troggelen (“to cheat, deceive, swindle”), Dutch troggelen (“to extort”), German dialectal truggeln (“to flatter, fawn”).
From dialectal truck, truk, trokk, probably of North Germanic origin, compare Norwegian dialectal trokka, trakka (“to stamp, trample, go to and fro”), Danish trykke (“to press, press down, crush, squeeze”), Swedish trycka. More at thrutch.
From Middle English trukien, from unrecorded Anglo-Norman and Old French words, from Latin trocāre, from Frankish *trokan. Related to Etymology 2.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.