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

This is a heavy-duty 4×2 electric tractor that can manage a 44-tonne payload (the maximum allowed on European roads). — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2026

With the fall harvest already started, diesel is powering tractors, planters, and harvesters. — Victoria Hoffmann, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2026

Moments later, a tractor-trailer going the 70 mph speed limit slammed into the back of the vehicle. — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026

Driving a tractor-trailer commercially without a CDL violates federal regulations — a violation that, if caught at a roadside inspection, would almost certainly have put him out of service on the spot. — John Kelly, CBS News, 17 Sep. 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