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
Noun
Theater owners were treated to a sneak peek of the trailer last week at CinemaCon, where Hemsworth and Henry also introduced the first scene from the movie in 3D. Hemsworth voices Orion Pax, a young Optimus Prime, while Henry, who is D-16, voices a young Megatron. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024 The trailer also shares clips of interviews from Christina Aguilera, Dolly Parton and Brandi Carlile. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 18 Apr. 2024 That exploding White House is an impressive feat of practical effects, a money shot that intrigued audiences from the movie’s first trailer. Alan Zilberman, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024 Fire officials say the blaze began in a trailer on the first floor of the building. Ames Alexander, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2024 In Max's new trailer for season 3 of Hacks, Deborah (Jean Smart) finds herself at the top of the world after her standup comedy special becomes wildly successful. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024 Ryder says in the trailer that Burton and crew shared. Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024 The harmonies, the rivalries, the innovations, and, of course, the surfing all get their due in the new trailer the upcoming documentary on the Beach Boys, premiering May 24 on Disney+. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024 The showing comes nearly three weeks after Warners debuted the first trailer for the film, a sequel to the 1988 original that starred Keaton opposite Winona Ryder, O’Hara, Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
Verb
While there are dirt bike and motocross tracks in suburbs of many cities, including Baltimore, access is limited to people who have the resources to trailer their dirt bikes to the track, says Dr. Drewery. Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Apr. 2023 Those who own 2021 Escalades with Super Cruise and an active Super Cruise plan can get the automatic lane change software update, plus a new trailering capability so owners can trailer their boat, camper and more while driving hands-free. Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2022 Anglers will trailer their catches roughly 60 miles to daily weigh-ins set for Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Matt Williams, Dallas News, 6 June 2020 The holder also has comfortable knob disconnects for trailering boats to and from the water. : Bob McNally, Field & Stream, 7 May 2020 On the day of departure, Andy picked Joe and me up at 3 a.m. in his mom’s minivan, trailering a camper with a bumper sticker that read: LIFESTYLES OF THE POOR AND UNKNOWN. The Editors, Field & Stream, 24 Feb. 2020 Most important to Sierra HD owners is trailering capability, and GMC answers their needs with the available ProGrade Trailering System. Tim Spell, Houston Chronicle, 10 Jan. 2020 That is not true of trailers and trailered boats that may have internal ballast tanks. Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2019 This means that after trailering boats, and before getting on the road, boaters must pull plugs, drain water and remove plants and debris. Maryann Struman, Detroit Free Press, 27 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trailer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near trailer

Cite this Entry

“Trailer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trailer. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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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