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

In a shift from, say, the Safari Park’s popular tram tour, there are no fences and visible enclosures.

From Los Angeles Times

Subway trains, buses and trams across Germany ground to a halt Monday in a public transport strike called by one of the country's biggest unions in a dispute over pay and conditions.

From Barron's

If time is tight, take the free narrated tram ride and stroll through the 25,000-square-foot open-air aviary, home to over 250 injured birds—including pelicans—that can’t be returned to the wild.

From Salon

Located on a 5-acre lot on the edge of the lake, the dwelling is known as Crystal Pointe and offers direct access to the water via a unique hillside track that operates two funicular trams.

From MarketWatch

Then the visitor showed video proof to the 43-year-old, who drives a tram and helps people board tour boats on the island off San Francisco.

From Los Angeles Times