semitrailer

noun

semi·​trail·​er ˈse-ˌmī-ˌtrā-lər 

ˈse-mē-,

-mi-

plural semitrailers

1

: a freight trailer that when attached is supported at its forward end by the fifth wheel device of the truck tractor

2

: a trucking rig made up of a tractor and a semitrailer

called also big rig

Examples of semitrailer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The National Transportation Safety Board said driver fatigue and poor company oversight of its drivers also played key roles when the Greyhound bus exited Interstate 70 onto a rest area ramp east of St. Louis and struck three semitrailers parked on the shoulder. —John O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025

The semitrailer rolled onto its side, sending dimes cascading onto the road, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Tony De La Cerda told The Messenger. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2025

Fans on the upper concourse have to stand in long lines waiting for concessions at the few available vendors, and while four loading docks may have been plenty for Manilow, Timberlake had 25 semitrailers full of equipment (not counting tour buses). —Matt Craig, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Stoughton Trailers would hire hundreds of assemblers, welders and supervisors in Rock and Dane counties where the company, with nine centers including the one in Evansville, is a major employer and the nation's fourth largest semitrailer manufacturer. —Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for semitrailer

• bailer
• bailor
• baler
• jailer
• jailor
• paler
• sailer
• sailor
• scalar
• scaler
• tailor
• trailer

Kids Definition

semitrailer

noun

semi·​trail·​er ˈsem-i-ˌtrā-lər 

ˈsem-ˌī-

1

: a freight trailer that when attached is supported at its forward end by the truck tractor

2

: a trucking rig made up of a tractor and a semitrailer