trailer

1 of 2

noun

trail·​er ˈtrā-lər 

1

: a nonautomotive vehicle designed to be hauled by road: such as

a

: a vehicle for transporting something

a boat trailer

especially : semitrailer sense 1

b

: a vehicle designed to serve wherever parked as a temporary dwelling or place of business

c

: mobile home

2

a

: a selected group of scenes that are shown to advertise a movie : preview sense 3

a theatrical trailer

b

: a short blank strip of film attached to the end of a reel

3

: one that trails

4

: a trailing plant

trailer

2 of 2

verb

trailered; trailering; trailers

intransitive verb

1

: to live or travel in or with a trailer

2

: to be transportable by trailer

a light boat that trailers easily

transitive verb

: to transport (something, such as a boat) by means of a trailer

trailerable

ˈtrā-lə-rə-bəl 

adjective

trailering

ˈtrā-lə-riŋ 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• camper
• caravan
• motor home
• recreational vehicle
• RV

Examples of trailer in a Sentence

Noun

We helped them load the furniture onto the trailer.

the band packed their equipment back into their trailer and headed off to their next gig

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Theater owners were treated to a sneak peek of the trailer last week at CinemaCon, where Hemsworth and Henry also introduced the first scene from the movie in 3D. Hemsworth voices Orion Pax, a young Optimus Prime, while Henry, who is D-16, voices a young Megatron. —Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024

The trailer also shares clips of interviews from Christina Aguilera, Dolly Parton and Brandi Carlile. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1938, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing trailer

• house trailer
• tractor trailer
• trailer park
• trailer trash
• travel trailer

Kids Definition

trailer

noun

trail·​er

ˈtrā-lər

1

: one that trails

2

a

: a vehicle designed to be hauled (as by a tractor)

b

: a vehicle designed to serve wherever parked as a dwelling or as a place of business

3

: preview entry 2 sense 2