tractor

American  

[trak-ter] / ˈtræk tər /

noun

1. a powerful motor-driven vehicle with large, heavy treads, used for pulling farm machinery, other vehicles, etc.

2. Also called truck tractor.  a short truck with a driver's cab but no body, designed for hauling a trailer or semitrailer.

3. something used for drawing or pulling.

4. Aeronautics.

   1. a propeller mounted at the front of an airplane, thus exerting a pull.

   2. Also called tractor airplane.  an airplane with a propeller so mounted.

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tractor British  

/ ˈtræktə /

noun

1. a motor vehicle used to pull heavy loads, esp farm machinery such as a plough or harvester. It usually has two large rear wheels with deeply treaded tyres

2. a short motor vehicle with a powerful engine and a driver's cab, used to pull a trailer, as in an articulated lorry

3. an aircraft with its propeller or propellers mounted in front of the engine

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Etymology

Origin of tractor

1855–60; < Latin trac-, variant stem of trahere to draw, pull + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

But filling this tractor with fuel has been directly impacted by the war.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Instead of buying new equipment and hiring help, he uses an aging tractor and combine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

Even with the small fortune on offer, the prospect of enlisting is a hard "Nyet" for tractor driver Roman, who like everybody AFP spoke to refused to give his surname.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

She then said the work of the two men was also separate and that Campbell only needed "help" from Low with a tractor.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

If you ever visit Lanternwood, odds are you’ll get stuck behind Old Joe driving his tractor down High Street, chugging from one end of the horseshoe to the other.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish