tram

¹ American  

[tram] / træm /

noun

1. British. a streetcar.

2. a tramway; tramroad.

3. Also called tramcar.  a truck or car on rails for carrying loads in a mine.

4. the vehicle or cage of an overhead carrier.

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verb (used with or without object)

trammed, tramming

1. to convey or travel by tram.

tram ² American  

[tram] / træm /

noun

1. trammel.

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verb (used with object)

trammed, tramming

1. Machinery. to adjust (something) correctly.

tram ³ American  

[tram] / træm /

noun

1. silk that has been slightly or loosely twisted, used weftwise in weaving silk fabrics.

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tram ¹ British  

/ træm /

noun

1. Also called: tramcar.  US and Canadian names: streetcar.   trolley car.  an electrically driven public transport vehicle that runs on rails let into the surface of the road, power usually being taken from an overhead wire

2. a small vehicle on rails for carrying loads in a mine; tub

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tram ² British  

/ træm /

noun

1. machinery a fine adjustment that ensures correct function or alignment

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verb

1. (tr) to adjust (a mechanism) to a fine degree of accuracy

tram ³ British  

/ træm /

noun

1. (in weaving) a weft yarn of two or more twisted strands of silk

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Other Word Forms

• tramless adjective

Etymology

Origin of tram¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; Middle English tram, tram(me) “mechanical device, astronomical instrument, siege tower”); 1820–30 tram ¹ for def. 2; originally shafts of a barrow or cart, rails for carts (in mines); perhaps from Middle Dutch trame “beam”

Origin of tram²

First recorded in 1880–85; short for trammel

Origin of tram³

First recorded in 1670–80; from French trame “woof, weft, tram,” from Latin trāma “warp,” from trahere “to draw, drag”

Example Sentences

“And over the coming weeks, if you can switch to catching the train or bus or tram to work, do so,” he added.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Frequently missed, though easily accessible from Porto’s center via an antique tram line, Foz do Douro could qualify as the north’s most delightful urban outcropping.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

To reach the structure, visitors had to climb a long set of stairs or ride a private tram up the slope.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

"His work includes rolling out his historic free school meals programme for primary school children across the capital, freezing bus and tram fares and lobbying for measures including rent controls," they said.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

Dearest Elizabeth, I’ve been thinking about this from the moment I realized what he’d done, from the moment I ran for the tram.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse