flatbed

1 of 2

adjective

flat·​bed ˈflat-ˌbed How to pronounce flatbed (audio)
: having a horizontal bed on which the work rests
a flatbed printing press
a flatbed scanner

flatbed

2 of 2

noun

: a motortruck or trailer with a body in the form of a platform or shallow box

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Its many big checks going in many directions, all beginning in 1917 in a barn-like building on South Main at Lincoln in Royal Oak, where Erb Lumber sold to do-it-yourselfers over a retail counter and at wholesale to home builders with flatbed trucks. Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 27 Apr. 2023 The other third covers preparing the site, transporting the modulars on a flatbed truck and a local builder assembling the sections on the foundation. Jeastman, oregonlive, 14 Apr. 2023 The big gun is jury-rigged on the back of a flatbed truck. James Levinson, Fox News, 13 Apr. 2023 The flatbed rail car carrying two 6,000-gallon tanker containers of liquid napalm was diverted to a Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail yard yesterday, where it was expected to remain until at least today. Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2023 The Blank Slate Monument, carried on a flatbed truck, has made stops in cities that are important to African American history, including Louisville, Ky.; Princeton, Ind., Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, and Atlanta. Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, 21 Nov. 2022 The 25-year-old Democrat zoomed toward his campaign float, a flatbed truck carrying a band composed of good friends from high school. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Nov. 2022 Over the weekend, Kyiv residents flocked to a display of disabled Russian tanks and armor that had been hauled into the heart of the capital on flatbed trucks to celebrate the unexpectedly staunch fight put up by Ukrainian defenders in the war’s early days. Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022 Slowly, Saade’s camera moves across a port stacked with shipping containers to a flatbed truck carrying a large statue of a man. Vulture, 16 July 2022
Noun
In the flatbed, Naw Chi Paw clutches her baby next to her teenage son. Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023 Bands were playing backyard parties and on trucks, flatbeds. Ben Trivett, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2023 Her work employs a high-resolution flatbed scanner to compose images allowing for close-up views of what’s growing. oregonlive, 6 Apr. 2023 Phoenix police over the weekend released surveillance footage from March 25 that showed two men and one woman get the spoon out of its base and put it on a large flatbed connected to a pickup truck. Terry Tang, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2023 Canoo also says the LTV has a modular attachment setup that also for the easy installment of accessories like racks, storage boxes, ramps, and tactical systems and also claims the LTV can use its flatbed to easily carry plywood and other construction materials. Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 1 Dec. 2022 Through a variety of outreach initiatives, from free performances at the Winspear Opera House to its traveling OperaTruck, an 18-wheeler whose flatbed becomes a stage for pop-up shows around town, The Dallas Opera has opened its arms wide to all audience members ready for a listen. Dallas News, 17 Nov. 2022 The discovery came about 9:30 a.m. Sunday when the flatbed stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint on state Route 94. San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2021 When Ridgeway catches Cora and shackles her to the body of a recently dead runaway slave stored in the flatbed of his wagon, Cora responds by kicking, screaming, whimpering, squealing, moaning and weeping with a depth of intensity rarely presented on the small screen. Hugh Hart, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flatbed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1892, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flatbed was in 1892

Dictionary Entries Near flatbed

Cite this Entry

“Flatbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flatbed. Accessed 31 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

flatbed

1 of 2 adjective
flat·​bed ˈflat-ˌbed How to pronounce flatbed (audio)
: having a horizontal bed on which material rests
a flatbed scanner

flatbed

2 of 2 noun
: a truck or trailer with a body in the form of a platform or shallow box

More from Merriam-Webster on flatbed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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