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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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verb

1. to convey (goods) in a truck

2. (intr) to drive a truck

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

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verb

1. archaic to exchange (goods); barter

2. (intr) to traffic or negotiate

truck Idioms  

1. see have no truck with.

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Other Word Forms

• truckable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of truck¹

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

Explanation

Vroom, vroom! A truck is a motorized vehicle on wheels—it's like a car, but bigger. Trucks are often used for hauling or transporting things. What we call a truck in the U.S. is generally called a lorry in the U.K. Trucks vary in size from small pickups that aren't much larger than cars to 18-wheel semi-trailer trucks. These big trucks are built to transport heavy goods and are mostly powered by diesel fuel. Truck is also a verb, meaning "convey by truck" or "proceed leisurely." The Middle English root word means "wooden wheel."

Example Sentences

Truck traffic at the Gulf of Oman port has surged to 7,000 a day from 100 before the conflict.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

Truck drivers are obviously seeing the most immediate effects of diesel costs.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

Cleaning houses, working in a candle shop, babysitting, unloading trucks in a food terminal and finally the kitchen of local health food grocery the Turnip Truck, music was always in the background.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Truck Festival has announced its headliners, which include The Maccabees, The Wombats and Kaiser Chiefs in Oxfordshire from 23 to 26 July.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

GM, Mack Truck, Firestone, and Standard Oil of California were all found guilty on one of the two counts by the federal jury.

From "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" by Eric Schlosser

Related Words

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