half-track

American  

[haf-trak, hahf-] / ˈhæfˌtræk, ˈhɑf- /

Or halftrack

noun

1. a caterpillar tread that runs over and under the rear or driving wheels of a vehicle but is not connected with the forward wheels: used especially on military vehicles.

2. a motor vehicle with rear driving wheels on caterpillar treads.

3. Military. an armored vehicle equipped with half-tracks.

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half-track British  

noun

1. a vehicle with caterpillar tracks on the wheels that supply motive power only

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Other Word Forms

• half-tracked adjective

Etymology

Origin of half-track

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

He scrambled out of his half-track and hid behind a well.

From Seattle Times • May 29, 2024

At one place the Chinese captured a U.N. half-track mounting four .50-caliber machine guns.

From Time Magazine Archive

Well, the gun, the half-track and the fuselage come to a figure resembling mileages between two stars.

From Time Magazine Archive

I could also hear the clank of a track vehicle and realized that it was a tank or half-track of some kind.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ishmael was commandeered to help dig free a half-track that had been deposited on Betio by a tank lighter and had promptly buried itself.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson