travois

noun

tra·vois | \ trə-ˈvȯi

, ˈtra-ˌvȯi\

plural travois also travoises\ trə-ˈvȯiz

, ˈtra-ˌvȯiz \

Definition of travois

: a simple vehicle used by Plains Indians consisting of two trailing poles serving as shafts and bearing a platform or net for the load

Examples of travois in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On the Great Plains of North America, Native American tribes employed dogs for centuries, outfitting them with a load-bearing frame called a travois that the animals pulled behind them. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Ancient Dogs Weren’t the Workhorses We Thought They Were," 18 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'travois.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.