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bulldozer

bulldozer

61 3.1
A large, heavy machine with a front blade that pushes dirt and debris
  • noun
  • /ˈbʊlˌdoʊzər/
translation icon : topadora
  • As the storm passed, the town hired a bulldozer to remove fallen trees and debris from the streets.
  • leveled by bulldozers
  • brought in bulldozers
  • bulldozers moved in

But I mean, John Wick just runs through bulldozers.

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Examples

  • Joe Janicek and his wife Kim can look out their window and see bulldozers digging up land right behind their backyard.

  • I had to go rent the bulldozer.

  • The fortification continues as workmen use a bulldozer to clear away the stonework around the entrance.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Bulldozers, paving machines busily transforming this dump into beautiful luxury condos.

  • The old sheds were shapeless heaps of rubble, and the bulldozers had cut wide swaths through the yard.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The construction crew used a bulldozer to clear the land for the new building.

  • A bulldozer pushed aside large rocks and dirt during the road expansion project.

Synonyms

dozer
vsbulldozer
  • US
5 6.4

A large machine with a wide front blade for moving earth or flattening ground

is the formal full term rather than the shorter informal name
earthmover
vsbulldozer
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A large machine that moves soil and rock at construction sites

is the specific heavy tractor used mainly for pushing and flattening ground
angledozer
vsbulldozer
  • Specialized
9.9

A bulldozer with its blade set at an angle to push earth to one side

pushes material straight ahead rather than to one side

How Powerful

dragline
  • Specialized
1 7.6
excavator
5 4.0
bulldozer
61 3.1
tractor
85 2.3
wheelbarrow
24 1.0

Surface Forms

bulldozer singular
bulldozers plural

Morphology

bulldozer = bulldoze (opaque) = bull + doze + er

The word 'bulldozer' is derived from 'bulldoze', but the connection to 'bull' and 'doze' is not transparent in meaning.

Etymology

Bulldozer comes from the verb bulldoze, which meant 'to push things aside' and brings to mind a strong bull doing the pushing. So a bulldozer is a machine that pushes and flattens earth or debris like a powerful bull.