truckload

English

Etymology

From truck +‎ load.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

truckload (plural truckloads)

1. The contents of a full truck or lorry.

   Synonym: truckful

   Coordinate terms: busload, carload, cartload, drayload, less than truckload, trailerload, wagonload

   • 1971 September 14, “37 Prisoners, Guards Die As Troopers Storm Prison”, in The Charlotte Observer, 86th year, number 173, page 1A:

     A task force of 1,000 gas-masked, ready-to-shoot state troopers and sheriff’s deputies, backed in reserve by 70 truckloads of New York National Guardsmen, liberated 29 other hostages, 25 of whom were injured.

2. (slang) A large number.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lot

   We were expecting just a handful of people to come to the festival, but then a truckload of revellers started arriving at the festival gates.

   • 2018 May 19, AJ Willimgham, “How ‘thoughts and prayers’ went from common condolence to cynical meme”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     Another meme shows an empty van. “Excellent news,” it reads. “The first truckload of your thoughts and prayers has just arrived.”

Derived terms

• less than truckload