plural trains
1
a
: a connected line of railroad cars with or without a locomotive
traveled the country by train
A train puffs across the Railroad Connection Bridge …—
Helen Cooper
Helen Cooper
b
: an automotive tractor with one or more trailer units
Tractor trains can operate not only within a plant but also outdoors between plants. These trains are especially useful where loads are too bulky or heavy for forklift trucks …—Joseph C. Quinlan
Joseph C. QuinlanThe [farm] tractor was 11.52 tonnes and the trailer 18.30 tonnes, giving a train weight of 29.82 tonnes.—Farmers Guardian (Preston, England)
Farmers Guardian (Preston, England)2
a
: the retinue or suite of a person of rank or consequence : following
In his train flock not the industrial workers of the world but the literary intellectuals of the capital cities of the world …—Sidney Hook
Sidney Hook
b
: a moving file of persons, vehicles, or animals
They had been walking for eight days. So had their small train of camels, mules and donkeys …—Matthew Parris
Matthew Parris
c
: the luminous trail or tail of a meteor or comet
Sightings of spiral meteor trains are not new.—Stephen James O'Meara
Stephen James O'Meara3
a
: an orderly succession
lost her train of thought
b
chiefly British
: a sequence (as of events or actions) leading to some result or goal
—often used in the phrase in train
A revolution had been set in train.—Max Davidson
Max DavidsonA vigorous campaign has been in train for most of this year to prevent the Royal family from being deported in September.—Raymond Keene
Raymond Keene
c
: accompanying or resultant circumstances : aftermath
consequences the discovery will bring in its train
4
: a series of moving mechanical parts (such as gears) that transmit and modify motion
a gear train
5
: a part of a gown that trails behind the wearer
Her bridal train was carried by a pretty flower girl …—Geoff Robinson
Geoff Robinson6
: the vehicles, personnel, and sometimes animals that provide maintenance, supply, and evacuation services to a combat unit
… Edward IV had an artillery train which impressed contemporaries, and which was clearly intended to provide for field actions as well as sieges.—Anthony Goodman
Anthony Goodman7
chemical engineering
: a series of parts or elements that together constitute a system for producing a result and especially for carrying on a process (such as the liquefaction of gas or separation of petroleum) automatically
an oil production train
8
: a line of combustible material laid to lead fire to a charge
A train of powder burning at a known rate can be made into an accurate timer as the length of the train is directly proportional to the time it takes to burn.—Robert A. Howard
Robert A. Howard
trained; training; trains
1
a
: to teach so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient
b
: to form by instruction, discipline, or drill
2
: to make prepared (as by exercise) for a test of skill
3
: to direct the growth of (a plant) usually by bending, pruning, and tying
4
: to aim at an object or objective : direct
trained his camera on the deer
training every effort toward success
Synonyms
Examples of train in a Sentence
Verb
He was never formally trained as a chef.
I've been trained in first aid.
I'm training her to take over my job when I retire.
My boss is training me on the new equipment.
We need to train more nurses.
They are highly trained professionals.
I'm training to be a nurse.
I trained at that hospital.
He's training as a chef.
She had to train her mind to think scientifically.
See More
Recent Examples on the WebElizabeth Both, NBC News, 25 Sep. 2023
In Staunton, the train will make a short stop before making the return trip back to Goshen.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2023
In photos obtained by the outlet, Hogan and his new bride posed for photos together after the ceremony, with him in a simple black tuxedo and a black version of his signature head bandana and Daily, 45, in a glittery white strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and a lace train.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2023
The railroad crossing where the collision occurred does not have level crossing arms to stop cars from crossing when a train is passing through, Chronister said.
—Jared Formanek, CNN, 24 Sep. 2023
Also this week, Kraft hopped on the recall train for 83,000 boxes of its cheese Singles due to a potential choking hazard.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 22 Sep. 2023
Twenty-six percent of the T’s subway tracks require trains to slow down because of unsafe defects, up from just 6 percent on Jan. 1, according to the agency.
—Laura Crimaldi, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Sep. 2023
Police advised the man to get out of the car because a train was approaching.
—Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 16 Sep. 2023
Hunter Greer, 27, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, said they were attacked Sunday night by two people sitting next to them on the 1 train.
—Jay Valle, NBC News, 15 Sep. 2023
Heather Cox Richardson, The New Republic, 26 Sep. 2023
Astronauts have to train to use specialized toilets (there is a whole toilet-engineering team with each space agency), and the toilets are finicky and have a history of breaking.
—WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
Hollywood studios are expected to retain the right to train artificial-intelligence models based on writers’ work under the terms of a tentative labor agreement between the two sides, people familiar with the situation said.
—Jessica Toonkel, WSJ, 26 Sep. 2023
But along with those new capabilities, said Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, Dave Limp, Amazon would use some user voice interactions with Alexa to train its AI model.
—Huiling Zhou, NBC News, 26 Sep. 2023
He is trained to attack if given the correct set of orders, in German.
—Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
Meanwhile, the people building and training these machines stand to profit enormously.
—Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2023
Creators get paid for their photos being used in training the service.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2023
At Zwirner, which recently hosted a Yayoi Kusama exhibit that had lines around the block for almost its entire eight-week run, staff are trained to greet visitors and be helpful.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023
See More
Noun
Six people are dead, including three children, after a train crashed into a car crossing railroad tracks in Florida.
—Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 25 Sep. 2023
In Staunton, the train will make a short stop before making the return trip back to Goshen.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2023
In photos obtained by the outlet, Hogan and his new bride posed for photos together after the ceremony, with him in a simple black tuxedo and a black version of his signature head bandana and Daily, 45, in a glittery white strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and a lace train.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2023
The railroad crossing where the collision occurred does not have level crossing arms to stop cars from crossing when a train is passing through, Chronister said.
—Jared Formanek, CNN, 24 Sep. 2023
Also this week, Kraft hopped on the recall train for 83,000 boxes of its cheese Singles due to a potential choking hazard.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 22 Sep. 2023
Twenty-six percent of the T’s subway tracks require trains to slow down because of unsafe defects, up from just 6 percent on Jan. 1, according to the agency.
—Laura Crimaldi, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Sep. 2023
Police advised the man to get out of the car because a train was approaching.
—Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 16 Sep. 2023
Hunter Greer, 27, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, said they were attacked Sunday night by two people sitting next to them on the 1 train.
—Jay Valle, NBC News, 15 Sep. 2023
Verb
Putin was stymied by Ukraine’s soldiers, who had trained hard in the eight years since the first Russian invasion, and by an international community that refused to recognize Russia’s land grab, imposed strict and coordinated sanctions, and provided Ukraine with money, intelligence, and weapons.
—Heather Cox Richardson, The New Republic, 26 Sep. 2023
Astronauts have to train to use specialized toilets (there is a whole toilet-engineering team with each space agency), and the toilets are finicky and have a history of breaking.
—WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
Hollywood studios are expected to retain the right to train artificial-intelligence models based on writers’ work under the terms of a tentative labor agreement between the two sides, people familiar with the situation said.
—Jessica Toonkel, WSJ, 26 Sep. 2023
But along with those new capabilities, said Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, Dave Limp, Amazon would use some user voice interactions with Alexa to train its AI model.
—Huiling Zhou, NBC News, 26 Sep. 2023
He is trained to attack if given the correct set of orders, in German.
—Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
Meanwhile, the people building and training these machines stand to profit enormously.
—Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2023
Creators get paid for their photos being used in training the service.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2023
At Zwirner, which recently hosted a Yayoi Kusama exhibit that had lines around the block for almost its entire eight-week run, staff are trained to greet visitors and be helpful.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'train.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from trainer to draw, drag
Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French trainer, from Vulgar Latin *traginare; akin to Latin trahere to draw
Noun (2)
Middle English traine treachery, from Anglo-French, from trahir to betray, from Latin tradere — more at traitor
First Known Use
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 5
Noun (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of train was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing train
Dictionary Entries Near train
Cite this Entry
“Train.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/train. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
train
1 of 2 noun1
: a part of a gown that trails behind the wearer
2
: a number of followers or attendants : retinue
3
: a moving file of persons, vehicles, or animals
wagon train
4
a
: an orderly connected series of events, actions, or ideas
train of thought
5
: a series of moving machine parts (as gears) for transmitting and modifying motion
6
: a connected line of railroad cars
train
2 of 2 verb1
: to direct the growth of (a plant) usually by bending, pruning, and tying
2
a
: to teach in an art, profession, or trade
b
: to teach (an animal) to obey
3
: to make ready for a test of skill or strength
4
: to aim at an object or target
trained their eyes on the horizon
trainability
noun
ˌtrā-nə-ˈbil-ət-ē
trainable
adjective
ˈtrā-nə-bəl
More from Merriam-Webster on train
Nglish: Translation of train for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of train for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about train
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