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

Coming in at a whopping $500 fine, parking a boat, motor home, truck camper or vending cart for over 15 days is tied with on-street parking of truck tractors or semitrailers for the highest parking violation fines in the city. —Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 12 May 2026

Diesel is used by the semitrailers that cart most of our food around. —Wes Zebrowski, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026

At the Pilot Travel Center booth pictures of Abel and Buffett are plastered on the windshield of a semitrailer truck, but Abel is in the driver’s seat. —ABC News, 2 May 2026

Two lanes of eastbound Interstate 70 are closed in west metro Denver after a semitrailer crashed and partially rolled off of a bridge, officials said Friday. —Katie Langford, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026

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