trolley
gb/tɹˈɑli/ us/tɹˈɑli/
A2
English
bevásárlókocsi, szállítókocsi, gurulós kocsi, villamos, gurulós hordágy, trolibusz, troli, futómacska
NOUN
A2
1
Usage pattern:
[push] a trolley; [put] [something] in the trolley
I grabbed a trolley at the entrance and started shopping.
A bejáratnál fogtam egy bevásárlókocsit, és elkezdtem vásárolni.
Please return your trolley to the trolley bay when you’re done.
Kérjük, ha végzett, tolja vissza a bevásárlókocsit a kijelölt gyűjtőhelyre.
The trolley wheels kept sticking on the uneven floor.
Learner examples
I put milk in the trolley.
Betettem a tejet a bevásárlókocsiba.
She pushed the trolley to the checkout.
A pénztárhoz tolta a bevásárlókocsit.
Common mistake:
In American English, the common word is shopping cart; in British English, trolley is common.
Meaning
shopping cart in a store
Collocations
shopping trolley
|supermarket trolley
|push a trolley
|grab a trolley
|return the trolley
|trolley bay
|trolley handle
|trolley wheels
|fill a trolley
|leave a trolley
Synonyms
shopping cart (Common term in American English.)
|
cart (More general; can refer to other kinds of carts too.)
Themes
shopping
|daily_life
Definition
a cart you push in a supermarket to carry things
A wheeled wire or plastic basket used for carrying goods around a supermarket or other shop.
NOUN
B1
2
Usage pattern:
a trolley for [something]; [push/wheel] a trolley
We loaded our suitcases onto a luggage trolley at the station.
Az állomáson felpakoltuk a bőröndjeinket egy poggyászkocsira.
A staff member pushed a food trolley down the aisle.
A személyzet egyik tagja egy ételes kocsit tolt végig a folyosón.
The hotel provided a trolley for moving heavy boxes.
Learner examples
He used a trolley to carry the bags.
Egy szállítókocsival vitte a táskákat.
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse this general sense with a tram/streetcar, which can also be called a trolley.
Meaning
wheeled cart for carrying items
Collocations
luggage trolley
|airport trolley
|service trolley
|food trolley
|tea trolley
|cleaning trolley
|equipment trolley
|wheel a trolley
|push a trolley
|stack trolleys
Synonyms
cart (Broader term for many kinds of wheeled carriers.)
|
handcart (Often smaller and pushed by hand; can have two wheels.)
Themes
daily_life
|travel
|work
Definition
a small cart with wheels for moving things
A small wheeled cart used to move or carry things, for example luggage, food, or equipment.
NOUN
B1
3
villamos
A1
Usage pattern:
[take/ride] the trolley; trolley line
We took the trolley to the waterfront instead of driving.
Villamossal mentünk a vízpartra, nem autóval.
The old trolley rattled along the tracks through downtown.
A régi villamos zörögve haladt a síneken a belvároson át.
There’s a trolley stop right outside the museum.
Learner examples
I rode the trolley to work.
Villamossal mentem munkába.
Common mistake:
In British English, tram is usually more common than trolley for this meaning.
Meaning
tram or streetcar
Collocations
take the trolley
|ride the trolley
|trolley line
|trolley stop
|trolley tracks
|trolley car
|historic trolley
|downtown trolley
|catch the trolley
|miss the trolley
Synonyms
tram (Common term in British and many other varieties of English.)
|
streetcar (Common term in North America.)
Themes
transport
|travel
|city_life
Definition
a tram that runs on tracks in a city
A tram or streetcar that runs on tracks along city streets, typically powered by electricity.
NOUN
B2
4
Usage pattern:
put [someone] on a trolley; bring [someone] in on a trolley
They wheeled him into the emergency room on a trolley.
Gurulós hordágyon tolták be a sürgősségi osztályra.
She lay on the trolley while the nurse checked her vital signs.
A gurulós hordágyon feküdt, miközben a nővér ellenőrizte az életjeleit.
The corridor was crowded with patients on trolleys.
Learner examples
The doctor wheeled the patient on a trolley.
Az orvos gurulós hordágyon tolta a beteget.
Common mistake:
In American English, gurney or stretcher is more common; trolley is common in British English.
Meaning
hospital bed on wheels
Collocations
hospital trolley
|emergency trolley
|patient trolley
|put someone on a trolley
|wheel someone in on a trolley
|lie on a trolley
|trolley bed
|transfer from a trolley
|trolley in the corridor
|wait on a trolley
Synonyms
gurney (Common American English term.)
|
stretcher (Often lighter and used for carrying rather than wheeling, but overlaps.)
Themes
health
|daily_life
Definition
a narrow hospital bed with wheels
A narrow bed on wheels used in a hospital for moving patients, especially in emergencies.
NOUN
B2
5
Usage pattern:
take a trolley; trolley route
The city still operates a trolley on the main route to the university.
A város még mindig trolibuszjáratot üzemeltet az egyetemre vezető fő útvonalon.
A trolleybus draws power from overhead wires.
A trolibusz a felsővezetékből kapja az áramot.
They expanded the trolley network to reduce diesel pollution.
Learner examples
The trolley uses electricity from wires.
A trolibusz a felsővezetékből kapja az áramot.
Common mistake:
A trolleybus is a bus (rubber tires), not a tram (rails).
Meaning
electric bus powered by overhead wires
Collocations
trolleybus
|trolley route
|trolley line
|overhead wires
|electric trolley
|trolley poles
|run a trolley service
|modern trolley system
Synonyms
trolleybus (Often written as one word; the most precise synonym.)
|
electric bus (Broader; may also mean battery-powered buses.)
Themes
transport
|city_life
Definition
a bus that gets electricity from wires above the road
A bus powered by electricity from overhead wires, usually through two poles connected to the wires.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
6
futómacska
C2
Usage pattern:
overhead crane trolley; trolley travels along the beam
The operator moved the trolley along the beam to position the load.
A kezelő a gerenda mentén mozgatta a futómacskát, hogy a terhet a megfelelő helyre állítsa.
A fault in the trolley motor stopped the crane.
A futómacska motorjának hibája miatt leállt a daru.
The trolley wheels need regular inspection for wear.
Common mistake:
This is a technical meaning and is unrelated to shopping trolleys or trams.
Meaning
moving carriage on a crane or rail
Collocations
overhead crane trolley
|hoist trolley
|trolley wheel
|trolley rail
|trolley beam
|trolley travel
|trolley motor
|trolley assembly
Synonyms
carriage (Technical term for the moving unit that carries the hoist.)
Themes
engineering
|industry
Definition
the part of a crane that moves along a beam
A wheeled carriage that moves along a rail or beam on a crane or hoist system, carrying the lifting mechanism and load.
Grammar
Dictionary form
trolley
IPA
GB/tɹˈɑli/
US/tɹˈɑli/
Syllables & stress
trol - ley (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (trol)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: trolley
- Plural: trolleys
Expressions
be on a trolley
1/bˈi ˈɔn ə tɹˈɑli/
fixed phrase
be lying on a hospital gurney
to be on a hospital bed with wheels
Examples
- He was on a trolley in the corridor for hours waiting for a bed.
- After the fall, she was put on a trolley and taken for an X-ray.
- I woke up on a trolley outside the operating theatre.
Learner examples
- She is on a trolley in the hospital.
off the trolley
1/ˈɔf ðə tɹˈɑli/
idiom
informal
crazy or out of control
acting very crazy or uncontrolled
Examples
- When he heard the news, he went completely off the trolley.
- The comments section was off the trolley last night.
- After three hours with no sleep, I started feeling a bit off the trolley.
Learner examples
- He went off the trolley.
the trolley problem
1/ðə tɹˈɑli pɹˈɑbləm/
fixed phrase
ethics dilemma about harming one vs many
a famous ethics question about choosing who to save
Examples
- We discussed the trolley problem in class and argued about what the right choice is.
- The film sets up a trolley-problem situation where any option harms someone.
- Online debates often turn everyday choices into a version of the trolley problem.
trolley dolly
1/tɹˈɑli dˈɑli/
fixed phrase
slang
flight attendant (often jokingly)
a flight attendant (informal)
Examples
- He kept calling the flight attendants 'trolley dollies', which annoyed the staff.
- The article criticized how 'trolley dolly' reduces the job to serving drinks.
- Some people still use 'trolley dolly' as a joke, but it can be offensive.