truck
n. countablen. a large, strong motor vehicle used for carrying heavy goods or materials. You often see them on highways moving products between cities.
n. a large motor vehicle designed for the commercial transport of goods or materials. In British English, this is more commonly referred to as a lorry.
The truck delivers fresh fruit to the supermarket every morning.
The construction company used a heavy-duty truck to move the gravel to the building site.
Logistics companies rely on a vast network of trucks to ensure that consumer goods reach retail outlets across the country in a timely and efficient manner.
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.
Commonly used in American English; the British equivalent is 'lorry'.
- 01
back up the truck
To take advantage of favourable pricing by purchasing a large amount.
- 02
fall off a truck
Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to be acquired illegally; to have been stolen.
- 03
fall off the back of a truck
Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession through illegal or otherwise dubious means.