breakdown truck
The standard British English term for a tow truck — a vehicle equipped to recover and tow broken-down cars.
Seen in the wild
Mount Pleasant: BREAKDOWN Truck. Roads affected: M1 Princes Motorway (Mount Ousley Road) approaching New Mount Pleasant Road. Affected directions: Northbound
Bankstown: BREAKDOWN Truck. Roads affected: Stacey Street at Hume Highway. Affected directions: Northbound
Definitions
The standard British English term for a tow truck — a vehicle equipped to recover and tow broken-down cars. Widely used across the UK, where 'tow truck' (the American term) is less common. Breakdown trucks are typically operated by motoring organizations like the AA or RAC, as well as private recovery companies.
The breakdown truck arrived within the hour and had the car loaded and on its way to the garage quickly.
Comments
(chiefly, UK) A tow truck.
“Mount Pleasant: BREAKDOWN Truck. Roads affected: M1 Princes Motorway (Mount Ousley Road) approaching New Mount Pleasant Road. Affected directions: Northbound”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Bankstown: BREAKDOWN Truck. Roads affected: Stacey Street at Hume Highway. Affected directions: Northbound”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "breakdown truck" (B)
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- breakdown lorry85%
British English for a tow truck — the heavy vehicle that comes to rescue your broken-down car and haul it to the nearest garage. In the UK, 'lorry' is the standard word for a large truck, and a 'breakdown lorry' is specifically the one equipped with a crane, winch, or flatbed for recovering stricken vehicles. If you've ever been stranded on the motorway, the breakdown lorry arriving feels like the most beautiful sight in the world.
- breakdown lorry82%
(chiefly, UK) A tow truck.
- car breaker68%
British and Commonwealth English term for a person or business that dismantles end-of-life vehicles for parts and scrap. The US equivalent is 'auto wrecker' or 'junkyard operator'. Car breakers typically operate 'breakers' yards' where salvageable parts can be bought cheaply by DIY mechanics. The term is standard in the UK automotive trade and repair culture rather than particularly slangy. The term is instantly understood across all Commonwealth countries.
- wrecker68%
A tow truck.