tractor

noun

trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər How to pronounce tractor (audio)
1
a
: a 4-wheeled or tracklaying automotive vehicle used especially for drawing farm equipment
b
: a smaller 2-wheeled apparatus controlled through handlebars by a walking operator
2
: an airplane having the propeller forward of the main supporting surfaces

Illustration of tractor

Illustration of tractor
  • tractor 1a

Examples of tractor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The show features dozens of antique engines and tractors along with live demonstrations ranging from blacksmithing, glass blowing and weaving to farming demonstrations. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025 American shipyards built 2,710 Liberty ships, an average of three ships every two days, and used these ships to send more than 400,000 trucks and jeeps, 14,000 airplanes, 8,000 tractors and 13,000 tanks to Russia. Carl Burdette, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2025 That prompted him to travel to D.C. by tractor to push for help, for smaller farms that typically don’t get as much federal aid as larger commodity farms. Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025 In 1986, a tractor harrow unearthed pieces of a Byzantine bucket. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 25 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for tractor

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin trahere

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tractor was in 1900

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tractor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tractor. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

tractor

noun
trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər How to pronounce tractor (audio)
1
: a vehicle that has large rear wheels or moves on tracks and is used especially for pulling farm implements
2
: a short truck with no body used in combination with a trailer for hauling freight

Medical Definition

tractor

noun
trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər How to pronounce tractor (audio)
: an instrument used to exert traction on a body part or tissue (as in surgical procedures)
a urethral tractor

More from Merriam-Webster on tractor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!