1. a type of industrial vehicle with two long metal arms at the front that slide un
1.nounB1
Definition
a type of industrial vehicle with two long metal arms at the front that slide under heavy goods and lift them off the ground so they can be moved to another place
Example
Samir uses a forklift to unload pallets from the delivery trucks each morning.
collocation: uses a forklift to [verb] [object]
The forklift broke down, so Nia had to move the boxes by hand.
inanimate subject + phrasal verb: broke down
Daichi was asked to get the forklift and bring the crates to the loading area.
passive: was asked to [verb] + [object]
Aaron accidentally knocked over a shelf with the forklift, but no one was hurt.
Inês has driven a forklift for three years and can lift heavy loads quickly.
present perfect: has driven [vehicle] for [time period]
refers specifically to a hand-operated device with two forks, not a powered vehicle — a different piece of equipment
Common Mistakes
Please bring a forklift to lift this single box.
Please bring a forklift to lift this pallet of boxes.
forklifts are designed for heavy palletised goods, not single small items.
I saw a forklift moving boxes by its own power.
I saw a forklift moving boxes; the driver was operating it carefully.
a forklift does not move by itself; it is always driven by an operator.
Word family
forklifted
adjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
'Forklift' is the everyday term used across the English-speaking world for the powered industrial vehicle with forks. 'Fork truck' is the preferred term in British English, especially in formal safety guidelines, but means the same vehicle. 'Lift truck' appears more often in technical catalogues and maintenance manuals; it is less common in ordinary speech. 'Pallet jack' (also called 'pallet truck') refers to a smaller, hand-operated device with two forks that lifts goods only a few inches off the ground — it is not self-powered and cannot stack items on shelves. In everyday use: 'Daichi drove a forklift into the warehouse' describes the powered vehicle; 'Daichi pulled the pallet jack under the boxes' describes the manual tool.
A compound word formed from 'fork' (from Old English 'forca', ultimately from Latin 'furca' meaning pitchfork or forked instrument) and 'lift' (from Old Norse 'lypta', meaning to raise or elevate). The term first appeared in the early 20th century when mechanised material-handling vehicles with forked lifting platforms were introduced in factories and warehouses.