ladder truck
1
3.7
- noun
- /ˈlædər trʌk/
- Specialized
:
camión de escaleras
- The fire chief ordered a ladder truck to the scene to reach the roof of the structure where flames were visible.
- hook and ladder truck
- one ladder truck
Examples
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My little farming town on the edge of the suburbs got a ladder truck a couple of years ago.
Blog text (23) -
The firefighters quickly deployed the ladder truck to rescue people trapped on the upper floors of the burning building.
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...when a New York Fire Department ladder truck...
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Get the ladder truck in here.
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"The flames were going up above when it got going, but they were right there with the big ladder truck, shooting down into the fire," said John Hull, who lives next door to the warehouse.
Blog text (10) -
Fire engine 17 and ladder truck 46, lights flashing, pull out onto the apron.
Fiction book (1991) -
Pumper engine and Frank's ladder truck were rapidly guided into position by men on the ground.
Fiction book (2000) -
Reporter: The Detroit Fire Department is still looking into why a firefighter decided to park the ladder truck on the tracks and in the path of danger.
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In 2008, that covered construction of the training campus, Olympia Fire Station 4 off Stoll Road, and the purchase of two fire engines and a tiller ladder truck.
Blog text (22) -
During the fire drill, a ladder truck was used to simulate rescues from high-rise buildings.
Synonyms
30
1.8
A big vehicle that carries firefighters and tools to put out fires
12
1.6
A large vehicle that carries firefighters and tools to fight fires
4
1.4
A large truck that carries firefighters and water to a fire
A fire engine with a long ladder that can extend to reach high places for fighting fires or rescuing people
How Equipped
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a straightforward head–modifier construction: 'ladder' modifies 'truck', so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a truck equipped with a ladder (i.e., the vehicle firefighters use). This is a literal, compositional meaning common across languages and not idiomatic or metaphorical, so it is immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
Ladder truck names a fire engine with a long ladder that can be raised from the truck. The clear picture of a vehicle carrying a long ladder explains why the term means a fire engine used 'to reach high places' and 'to rescue' people.