Definition

Noun: A large, heavy motor vehicle designed for transporting loose materials (such as sand, gravel, or demolition waste). Its defining feature is an open-box bed, hinged at the rear, which can be raised at the front by a hydraulic ram to allow the contents to be tipped out and discharged by gravity.

Usage

The term "dump truck" refers specifically to the vehicle itself and its primary function of transporting and dumping loose materials. - It is used to describe the vehicle in contexts like construction, mining, and roadwork. - It is a compound noun where "dump" describes the truck's action and "truck" specifies the vehicle type.

Examples

• The construction site ordered three dump trucks to haul away the excavated soil.
• A dump truck full of gravel backed up to the designated area and raised its bed.
• The highway was temporarily blocked by a broken-down dump truck.

Advanced Usage

• "to work like a dump truck": An informal simile suggesting someone is eating a very large quantity of food.

Variants and Related Words

• Dumper (chiefly British English): A synonym for "dump truck."
• Tipper truck (chiefly British English): Another synonym, emphasizing the tipping mechanism.
• Dump: As a verb, meaning to unload or deposit material in a heap. As a noun, it can mean a site for depositing waste.
• Haul truck: A very large dump truck used in mining operations.

Synonyms

• Dumper
• Tipper truck
• Tip truck
• Dump lorry

Antonyms

• Flatbed truck: A truck with a flat, level bed for cargo that must be loaded and unloaded manually or with a crane, not by tipping.
• Tanker truck: A truck designed to carry liquids or gases in a sealed tank.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• "Dump truck" is itself a specific term and is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions beyond informal similes (see Advanced Usage).

Noun

1. truck whose contents can be emptied without handling; the front end of the platform can be pneumatically raised so that the load is discharged by gravity