backhoe

IPA/ˈbækhəʊ/
KK[bˈækhˌo]IPA/ˈbækhəʊ/

backhoe — noun

  • backhoesingular
  • backhoesplural

1. A heavy construction vehicle with a long rear arm and bucket, used to dig holes,

1.nounB2
Definition

A heavy construction vehicle with a long rear arm and bucket, used to dig holes, trenches, and narrow sections of ground.

Example

Imran watched the backhoe dig a trench beside the new school.

dig a trench with a backhoe

The backhoe lifted wet soil into the truck after the pipe burst.

lift soil into a truck

Common collocations
  • dig a trench
  • dig a hole
  • swing the bucket
  • park the backhoe
  • operate a backhoe
Synonyms
  • excavator

    a broader term for a digging machine, often larger and able to turn fully on its base

  • digger

    an informal everyday term, especially common on building sites

Usage Note

Usually used for digging jobs on roadworks and building sites, especially for trenches and foundation holes. In everyday speech, people sometimes use it loosely for similar excavators, but a backhoe typically suggests a smaller vehicle with the bucket working from the rear.

Common Mistakes

They used a backhoe to push the hill flat.
They used a bulldozer to push the hill flat.
A backhoe is mainly for digging with its bucket, not for pushing large amounts of earth forward.
The warehouse crew moved the boxes with a backhoe.
The warehouse crew moved the boxes with a forklift.
A backhoe is an outdoor digging machine, not a vehicle for lifting goods inside a warehouse.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A backhoe is mainly a digging machine with a bucket on a rear arm, often used for trenches, drains, and small construction jobs. An excavator is a broader term for a digging machine and often suggests a larger machine that can turn fully on its base. A bulldozer is for pushing earth forward with a wide blade, not for scooping soil out of a hole. A loader is built to lift and carry material, usually from the front. You might say, 'The crew brought a backhoe to dig around the broken pipe,' but 'The bulldozer cleared the hill,' or 'The loader moved the gravel into piles.'

backhoe ↗excavator ↗bulldozerloader

Common collocations

Nouns

  • backhoe bucket
  • backhoe arm
  • backhoe operator
  • backhoe loader

Phrases

  • drive a backhoe
  • rent a backhoe
  • operate a backhoe

Prepositions

  • with a backhoe
  • in a backhoe

Etymology

English

Backhoe is a modern English compound made from back and hoe. The name points to the way the bucket works: it pulls earth back toward the machine instead of pushing forward. Over time, the word came to refer both to the rear digging arm and to the whole vehicle fitted with that bucket.