Meaning & use
truck jackknife
Last updated
UK/trʌk ˈdʒæknaɪf/
US/trʌk ˈdʒæknaɪf/
Meaning
nouncountable
An accident in which a truck with a trailer folds at the joint, forming a V shape.
Grammar: Countable: a truck jackknife, two truck jackknifes.
Patterns
- cause a truck jackknife
- a truck jackknife on a road
The heavy rain caused a truck jackknife on the highway.
A truck jackknife blocked all lanes for hours.
Police are investigating the truck jackknife that injured two people.
Word forms
| plural | truck jackknifes |
|---|
Common combinations
- cause a truck jackknife
- Ice on the road can cause a truck jackknife.
- avoid a truck jackknife
- Drivers are trained to avoid a truck jackknife by braking carefully.
- truck jackknife accident
- The truck jackknife accident closed the bridge.
Synonyms and how they differ
- jackknife
- Jackknife alone can mean the same, but it also means a folding knife, so 'truck jackknife' is clearer for the accident.
Word family
- jackknife verb
- To fold at a joint, as a truck does in this accident.
Commonly confused: truck jackknife or jackknife (knife)?
truck jackknife vs jackknife (knife)
A jackknife is also a large folding knife. The truck meaning is about the shape, not a weapon.
Practice
What does 'truck jackknife' mean?
Choose one answer.
A truck jackknife is an accident where the trailer folds, forming a V. The other options confuse it with a knife or a driving technique.
Make it your own
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