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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

dump trucks

plural

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.

In one case, dozens of fans scaled a city dump truck, deployed as a security measure, to catch a glimpse of the passing players and trophy.

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

“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

They walked about 60 metres and heard a loud crash noise "like a rock falling, like a dump truck had dropped a load of rocks" at 18:02.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2025

Mom and Sam get him a giant yellow dump truck.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

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