semitrailer

American

[sem-i-trey-ler] / ˈsɛm ɪˌtreɪ lər /

noun

Also called semi. a detachable trailer for hauling freight, with wheels at the rear end, the forward end being supported by the rear of a truck tractor when attached.
tractor-trailer.

semitrailer British

/ ˌsɛmɪˈtreɪlə /

noun

a type of trailer or articulated lorry that has wheels only at the rear, the front end being supported by the towing vehicle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of semitrailer

First recorded in 1915–20; semi- + trailer

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Who was riding on the back of the semitrailer and why was still being investigated, Slaymaker said.

From Seattle Times • May 5, 2024

From inside the shop, Zapata watched a semitrailer truck slowly turn and block the road.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2023

Dash-camera and body-camera video released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows troopers with their lights and sirens on following a semitrailer before the truck stops.

From New York Times • Jul. 25, 2023

Minely Beatriz Ramirez-Valdez was part of a group nabbed inside a Peterbilt semitrailer at a Border Patrol highway checkpoint en route from southern Texas to Houston on Thursday.

From Washington Times • Nov. 8, 2022

They weren’t in the fifth-wheel or the semitrailer.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023