truck

¹

[ truhk ]

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.

verb (used with object)

1. to transport by truck.
2. to put on a truck.
3. Movies. dolly ( def 11 ).

verb (used without object)

1. to convey articles or goods on a truck.
2. to drive a truck.
3. Movies. dolly ( def 12 ).

adjective

1. of, relating to, or for a truck or trucks:

   a truck drive; truck tires.

truck

²

[ truhk ]

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.

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

[ truhk ]

noun

1. a shuffling jitterbug step.

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

/ 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

verb

1. archaic.
   to exchange (goods); barter
2. intr to traffic or negotiate

truck

²

/ trʌk /

noun

1. a vehicle for carrying freight on a railway; wagon
2. a large motor vehicle designed to carry heavy loads, esp one with a flat platform Also called (esp in Britain)lorry
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

verb

1. to convey (goods) in a truck
2. intr to drive a truck

Other Words From

• trucka·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of truck¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of truck¹

C13: from Old French troquer (unattested) to barter, equivalent to Medieval Latin trocare , of unknown origin

Origin of truck²

C17: perhaps shortened from truckle ²

Idioms and Phrases

see have no truck with .

Example Sentences

Mail-carrying trucks are no longer being sent out empty, and everything is slowly getting back to normal.

From Voice of San Diego

Usually, workers would go into overtime if the next day’s mail wasn’t fully sorted for the trucks, Cowan said.

From Voice of San Diego

Earth’s deep stores of water may have been locally sourced rather than trucked in from far-flung regions of the solar system.

From Science News

Waymo hasn’t yet said how long the testing phase will last, or when it thinks its trucks will start operating fully autonomously.

From Singularity Hub 

Then they put their gas masks on and let gas into the back of truck.

From Ozy

Instead, the man and woman in the truck wanted to know where the crash site was and whether would I show them.

From The Daily Beast

“When Tanveer realized what was happening, he jumped out of the truck, but the Iranians shot him,” Abdullah says.

From The Daily Beast

Each well requires 1,500—2,000 truck trips over the lifetime of the well.

From The Daily Beast

A fire truck roars down a city street and people cheer its arrival.

From The Daily Beast

The system is truck-mounted and road-mobile, as are the big and conspicuous radars that stood next to it on display.

From The Daily Beast

It wur Tom Wurmsee led me; I wuz gwine ter move his truck fur him this arternoon.

From Project Gutenberg

As long as an emergency truck could squeeze through at moderate speed, that was enough.

From Project Gutenberg

Dis whole job is a pipe, wit' us havin' a Monitor gun to open dat armored truck.

From Project Gutenberg

He saw that the back door of the armored truck was opening and another guard was getting out.

From Project Gutenberg

He put all his doctor truck into his gasoline wagon last night and choo-chooed outen town.

From Project Gutenberg