panel truck

American

noun

a small truck having a fully enclosed body, used mainly to deliver light or small objects.

panel truck British

noun

British equivalent: delivery van. a small van used esp for delivery rounds

"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 panel truck

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

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.

Police repeated for the public a witness statement that a white panel truck or step van with ladders was seen in the vicinity of one of the assassinations.

From Slate • Feb. 13, 2023

He convinced a Stockton bank to loan him $800 to buy a panel truck and supplies to make bologna sandwiches to sell to migrant farm workers.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2017

“Production in a box” was a panel truck packed with lights, a stage, a podium — everything a candidate would need to make an appearance.

From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2017

His prized possession is a big, old panel truck parked outside, marked, “Moving” on the side.

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2012

And the next time your pipes spring a leak and a panel truck marked ''Licensed” Plumber pulls up to your door, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

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