tractor

noun

trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər 

1

a

: a 4-wheeled or tracklaying automotive vehicle used especially for drawing farm equipment

b

: a smaller 2-wheeled apparatus controlled through handlebars by a walking operator

c

: truck entry 1 sense 1b

2

: an airplane having the propeller forward of the main supporting surfaces

Illustration of tractor

• tractor 1a

Examples of tractor 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

They were convicted in connection with the deaths of 53 migrants found in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer in Texas in 2022. —Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026

Taxpayers spend nearly $4 million each year for tractors to remove sargassum from the shore. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 9 May 2026

The car crashed head-on with a tractor-trailer that was going westbound towards the state line. —Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 8 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin trahere

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing tractor

• tractor-trailer

Rhymes for tractor

• acter
• actor
• factor
• attractor
• cofactor
• compactor
• contactor
• contractor
• distractor
• extractor
• impactor
• protractor

Kids Definition

tractor

noun

trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər 

1

: a vehicle that has large rear wheels or moves on tracks and is used especially for pulling farm implements

2

: a short truck with no body used in combination with a trailer for hauling freight

Medical Definition

tractor

noun

trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər 

: an instrument used to exert traction on a body part or tissue (as in surgical procedures)

a urethral tractor