dump truck

American

Or dumptruck

noun

a usually open-topped truck having a body that can be tilted to discharge its contents, as sand or gravel, through an open tailgate.

dump truck British

/ ˈdʌmpə- /

noun

a small truck used on building sites, having a load-bearing container at the front that can be tipped up to unload the contents

"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

Etymology

Origin of dump truck

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

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.

“I can’t sell a dump truck with two wheels.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025

Save for the wagon full of bits and tools the National Alliance to End Homelessness and outreach workers were able to save from the dump truck, everything else was thrown away.

From Slate • Oct. 8, 2025

The storm had put her husband, who mows lawns, out of work, so he was hauling gravel with his dump truck.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 18, 2024

Inside, church volunteers had made quilts for the beds and set out an orange and yellow plastic dump truck and other toys for the couple’s son.

From Seattle Times • May 5, 2024

"Take the dump truck," Sam directed, and the moving man began to crawl and say "Rrrrrrrrrr," also.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

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