trailer

1 of 2

noun

trail·​er ˈtrā-lər How to pronounce trailer (audio)
1
: a nonautomotive vehicle designed to be hauled by road: such as
a
: a vehicle for transporting something
a boat trailer
especially : semitrailer sense 1
b
: a vehicle designed to serve wherever parked as a temporary dwelling or place of business
2
a
: a selected group of scenes that are shown to advertise a movie : preview sense 3
a theatrical trailer
b
: a short blank strip of film attached to the end of a reel
3
: one that trails
4
: a trailing plant

trailer

2 of 2

verb

trailered; trailering; trailers

intransitive verb

1
: to live or travel in or with a trailer
2
: to be transportable by trailer
a light boat that trailers easily

transitive verb

: to transport (something, such as a boat) by means of a trailer
trailerable adjective
trailering noun

Examples of trailer in a Sentence

Noun We helped them load the furniture onto the trailer. the band packed their equipment back into their trailer and headed off to their next gig
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In August 2025, the trailer for Regretting You arrived one year after Deadline reported that Hoover's 2019 contemporary romance and young adult crossover novel would be adapted into a movie. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025 Carroll Fulmer Logistics Corporation, a family-run trucking firm from Groveland, Fla. with more than 400 trucks and 1,700 trailers, ceased operations in late June. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
The Bureau of Land Management sent a wrangler to rope the colt and trailer him back to a temporary holding pen to reunite with his mother, the agency told McClatchy News in an email. Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2025 My plan was to trailer my snowmobile behind the jeep. Ray Alt, Outdoor Life, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for trailer

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1938, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of trailer was in 1590

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trailer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trailer. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

trailer

noun
trail·​er
ˈtrā-lər
1
: one that trails
2
a
: a vehicle designed to be hauled (as by a tractor)
b
: a vehicle designed to serve wherever parked as a dwelling or as a place of business
3

More from Merriam-Webster on trailer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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