big rig

noun

plural big rigs

US

: a large truck with an attached trailer that is used for hauling freight : semitrailer sense 2

A father and grandfather, Brubaker worked behind the wheel of a big rig for over a decade before transferring to a supervisory role.

—Deirdre Reilly

He formerly drove a big rig for a freight company.

—Jim Kleinpeter

Examples of big rig in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their big rigs get about a paltry six miles to the gallon and filling their tanks in the Golden State now costs up to $2,500 a pop. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

The big rig manufacturer claims NOx emissions are 83% lower on this engine, while particulate matter has been cut by 50%. — Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 15 Oct. 2026

In September, Aurora reported that its trucks had clocked more than 500,000 driverless miles with zero at-fault collisions, and plans to have 200 big rigs on the road by year’s end. — Joe Mullich, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

The cab of the big rig caught fire, but the trailer, which was carrying wood pallets, did not burn. — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for big rig

• renege
• big
• brig
• brigg
• dig
• fig
• gig
• jig
• mig
• pig
• prig
• sprig

Kids Definition

big rig

noun

: semitrailer sense 2