forklift

noun

fork·​lift ˈfȯrk-ˌlift How to pronounce forklift (audio)
: a self-propelled machine for hoisting and transporting heavy objects by means of steel fingers inserted under the load

Examples of forklift in a Sentence

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This year, the role went to a nearly thousand-pound pick from Honesdale, Pennsylvania, which Pigott got onto the stoop with a forklift. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026 Two of the southbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway are closed at Hubbard Street after a crash involving a tow truck carrying a forklift at Hubbard's Cave. — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 On muddy gravel between the smokestacks and the water, a forklift held what looked like an enormous sack of sand. — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 Every fall, regional growers lug their pumpkins – often via some combination of truck, trailer, and forklift – to Topsfield, Massachusetts, where an eponymous fair acts as these growers’ Super Bowl. — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for forklift

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of forklift was in 1944

Rhymes for forklift

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Browse Nearby Words

forkless
forklift
forklike
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Cite this Entry

“Forklift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forklift. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

forklift

noun
fork·​lift ˈfȯr-ˌklift How to pronounce forklift (audio)
: a machine for lifting heavy objects by means of steel fingers inserted under the load
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