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
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 big rig’s driver could not stop in time to avoid the fatal crash, Zuniga said. Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2025 By mid-morning Friday, a big rig hit a Tennessee Department of Transportation truck in Smith County and wreaked havoc for people trying to use Interstate 40. Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 The chances of encountering a big rig on the road without a driver behind the wheel are growing as autonomous commercial trucking companies further develop their systems, enter into key partnerships and expand their operating territories. Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 When overtaking a freight train of 2 or 3 Class 8 big rigs hauling loads of green tomatoes through our California Central Valley, or getting around a similar raft of gravel trucks on the 210 freeway in Los Angeles. Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for big rig

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of big rig was in 1946

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Cite this Entry

“Big rig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20rig. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

big rig

noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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