Skip to main content
tank truck

tank truck

1 3.4
A large vehicle with a tank that carries liquids or gases on roads
  • noun
  • /tæŋk trʌk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : camión cisterna
  • I saw a tank truck spilling a colorful mixture of toxic waste from the spigot in back.
  • water tank truck

Examples

  • "Tank-truck rollover.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • For example, identifying alternative methods of accessing water, like using a dairy tank truck to deliver water or connecting a fire hose to a nearby fire hydrant, would minimize interruption of the water supply (Counts, 2001a).

    Academic text (2005)
  • His works on tank truck dynamics and hand-arm dynamics have been extensively cited by researchers worldwide.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Using a 20-year-old tank truck, the process required two days of labor and consumed about 70 gallons of fuel.

    Academic text (1996)
  • When Glenn Thrip could see the track again, the woman and the boy with the tank truck were spraying it down for the next heat.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Four thousand hands are a lot of hands, and in an astounding short time, though Colonel Yoffe paced and bellowed through every minute of it, a half-track and then a heavy tank truck tested the road and got through.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Processing equipment at the facility includes a tub grinder, two front-end loaders, a large compost turner, a portable screen, a tank truck, a manure spreader, and a bulldozer.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The tank truck delivered fresh water to the wildfire site to help firefighters combat the flames.

  • Every day, the tank truck made its rounds, supplying essential fuel to the local construction sites.

  • A large tank truck was parked near the construction area, waiting to unload thousands of gallons of concrete.

Synonyms

tanker
vstank truck
30 3.1

A large road vehicle that carries liquids like milk or fuel

refers to the same vehicle using a more descriptive phrase
tanker truck
vstank truck
7 3.3

A large road vehicle that carries liquids or gas in a metal container

is the alternate naming form for the same vehicle type

How Big

storage tank
8 3.1
tank truck
  • Specialized
1 3.4
gasoline tank
  • US
1 2.5
bottled gas
  • UK
3.5

Surface Forms

tank truck singular
tank trucks plural

Morphology

tank + truck

The meaning is directly compositional: 'tank' (a vessel for liquids/gases) + 'truck' (a vehicle) straightforwardly yields a vehicle equipped with a tank for carrying liquids or gases. This noun–noun compound follows common cross‑linguistic patterns (e.g. camion‑citerne, camión cisterna) and would be predictable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Tank truck comes from the picture of a metal tank fixed to a truck, like a large water or fuel bottle on wheels. So, it means 'a vehicle that carries liquids or gases'.