tractor

American  

[trak-ter] / ˈtræk tər /

noun

tractors plural

1. a powerful motor-driven vehicle with large, heavy treads, used for pulling farm machinery, other vehicles, etc.

2. Also called truck tractor.  a short truck with a driver's cab but no body, designed for hauling a trailer or semitrailer.

3. something used for drawing or pulling.

4. Aeronautics.

   1. a propeller mounted at the front of an airplane, thus exerting a pull.

   2. Also called tractor airplane.  an airplane with a propeller so mounted.

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tractor British  

/ ˈtræktə /

noun

1. a motor vehicle used to pull heavy loads, esp farm machinery such as a plough or harvester. It usually has two large rear wheels with deeply treaded tyres

2. a short motor vehicle with a powerful engine and a driver's cab, used to pull a trailer, as in an articulated lorry

3. an aircraft with its propeller or propellers mounted in front of the engine

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tractors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tractor

1855–60; < Latin trac-, variant stem of trahere to draw, pull + -tor -tor

Explanation

A tractor is a vehicle that's used on a farm or work site, often to pull a trailer or other equipment. A farmer might use a tractor to pull a plow through her corn field before planting. Tractors typically have two large wheels in back, and smaller wheels in front. The cab of a tractor, where the driver sits, is sometimes open at the sides. When tractors were first used in farm work, they replaced horses and other large animals once commonly used to pull plows and move heavy equipment. The original meaning of tractor was "something that pulls," while in Modern Latin it means "that which draws," from trahere, "to pull or draw."

Example Sentences

The 40-year-old took charge of the Tractor Boys in 2021 and led them to three promotions in the past four seasons, two of which have taken the club into the Premier League.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

Burks Tractor paid Monarch more than $770,000 for 10 tractors.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026

Tractor brands like Case IH pay handsomely to have their machinery featured on the Welkers’ channel.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

The Tractor Boys booked their place back in football's top flight on the final day of the season following a convincing 3-0 win over QPR in front of their home fans at Portman Road.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

“What do you want to do first? Ferris wheel? Tilt-A-Whirl? Jack Rabbit? Tractor pull? Petting zoo? Or we could get funnel cakes,” she said in a breathless whoosh.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman