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

Electric big rigs need to be charged more often than diesel trucks need to be refueled — about once a day compared to once every three or four days. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Truck makers and operators still have to solve some major issues, however, including how automated trucks will operate in variable weather and road conditions, and whether drivers should still be inside big rigs. — Shannon Roberts, The Conversation, 29 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

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