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

The big rig collided with the three vehicles ahead, then continued through a fence west of Highway 99 before coming to rest partially blocking the southbound freeway and the 99 Frontage Road. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Fred bought a pickup truck, a Mustang and his very own big rig; his lifelong dream was to be a long-haul trucker. — Megan Rose, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2026

The California Highway Patrol posted on social media stating that the crash involved a single big rig near Floriston, east of Truckee. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Per the outlet, the big rig was transporting touring equipment from Tuesday night’s Seattle show. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 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