forklift

American  

[fawrk-lift] / ˈfɔrkˌlɪft /

noun

• forklifts
  plural

1. Also called forklift truck,.  Also called fork truck.  a small vehicle with two power-operated prongs at the front that can be slid under heavy loads and then raised for moving and stacking materials in warehouses, shipping depots, etc.

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verb (used with object)

1. to move or stack by forklift.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• forklifts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of forklift

First recorded in 1940–45; fork + lift

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forklift forklifts

In her own court filing, the staffer described how the center had been blocked off by gates and witnessed how a forklift had "run into and hit the pillars on the building several times."

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Inside a factory alongside Interstate 5 in the San Joaquin Valley, a forklift delivered a stack of precut lumber to two waiting carpenters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

A forklift truck operator has also been spotted wearing a Swift t-shirt while working at the venue.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

When a Toyota group company attempted to take Toyota Industries private recently, Elliott initially opposed the move, saying that the terms substantially undervalued the Japanese forklift maker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

On the largest forklift stood a girl who looked like an older version of Reyna, in black combat armor with a glittering gold belt around her waist.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

However, they said the building does house about 60 forklifts that run on lithium-ion batteries, although those are “currently unburned.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026

But around the world it is used to make plastics, heat households, power equipment such as forklifts and in some places even fuel automobiles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

Cars, forklifts and a truck were also confiscated.

From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025

He spent time in Iowa, Michigan, and most memorably, Alaska, where he operated cranes, forklifts, and anchored vessels as a dock worker at Pacific Star Seafoods.

From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2025

I often leaned on the window sill and watched the huge garage doors groaning up and down, the forklifts whizzing in and out with pallets stacked with crates of delicious fizzy drinks.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago