trailer

American  

[tray-ler] / ˈtreɪ lər /

noun

• trailers
  plural

1. a large van or wagon drawn by an automobile, truck, or tractor, used especially in hauling freight by road.

2. Also called travel trailer. a vehicle attached to an automobile and used as a mobile home or place of business, usually equipped with furniture, kitchen facilities, bathroom, etc.

3. a person or thing that trails.

4. a trailing plant.

5. a short promotional film composed of clips showing highlights of a movie due for release in the near future.

6. blank film at the end of a reel or strip of film, for winding off the film in a motion-picture camera or projector.

7. Ceramics. a can with a spout, used in slip trailing.

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trailer British  

/ ˈtreɪlə /

noun

1. a road vehicle, usually two-wheeled, towed by a motor vehicle: used for transporting boats, etc

2. the part of an articulated lorry that is drawn by the cab

3. a series of short extracts from a film, used to advertise it in a cinema or on television

4. a person or thing that trails

5. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): caravan. a large enclosed vehicle capable of being pulled by a car or lorry and equipped to be lived in

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trailers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of trailer

First recorded in 1580–90; trail + -er ¹

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Explanation

A trailer is a wheeled vehicle that can't move on its own — it needs to be pulled by a car, truck, or other vehicle. Some bike-riding parents tow their small children behind them in bicycle trailers. The trailer you might put a boat on, hitching it to your truck, trails behind the vehicle that's pulling it. Another meaning of trailer is a film preview or advertisement that theaters show before a movie. It might seem strange to call it a trailer when it comes first, but the earliest trailers, at the start of the 20th century, came after the movie, trailing it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trailer trailers

Rockstar posted a new trailer online for "GTA VI" featuring a song from "original score composers Justice", who are best known for their work during the late "French Touch" electro wave of the early 2000s.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

The new launch trailer, external again confirmed GTA 6 will be released on 19 November.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The CrossWave has the distinction of being the most expensive production PWC on the market—$32,499, with a trailer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

At the time of the shooting, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were inside the trailer, and their kids were inside the nursery room, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

She was reading the help wanted ads on a lawn chair in front of the trailer.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

David Hacker, owner of subcontractor Construction Specialties of North Florida, said they have had to pick up trailers on the side of the road after crews were detained.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

But over the weekend, she saw campervans, a large coach and cars with trailers - one towing a boat - all drive down it, some at speeds as fast as 40mph.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Ordinarily, I try not to spend too much of my one precious life watching Marvel trailers — or Marvel movies, for that matter.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

While drivers know gas prices, truckers and businesses are sharply aware of diesel prices, as the fuel powers tractor trailers, freight trains and farm equipment.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

The trailers were all horse trailers, tricked out with televisions and mini-refrigerators and mosquito netting.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

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Related Words

• mobile home

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