trailer

American  

[tray-ler] / ˈtreɪ lər /

noun

• trailers
  plural

1. a large van or wagon drawn by an automobile, truck, or tractor, used especially in hauling freight by road.

2. Also called travel trailer. a vehicle attached to an automobile and used as a mobile home or place of business, usually equipped with furniture, kitchen facilities, bathroom, etc.

3. a person or thing that trails.

4. a trailing plant.

5. a short promotional film composed of clips showing highlights of a movie due for release in the near future.

6. blank film at the end of a reel or strip of film, for winding off the film in a motion-picture camera or projector.

7. Ceramics. a can with a spout, used in slip trailing.

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trailer British  

/ ˈtreɪlə /

noun

1. a road vehicle, usually two-wheeled, towed by a motor vehicle: used for transporting boats, etc

2. the part of an articulated lorry that is drawn by the cab

3. a series of short extracts from a film, used to advertise it in a cinema or on television

4. a person or thing that trails

5. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): caravan. a large enclosed vehicle capable of being pulled by a car or lorry and equipped to be lived in

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trailers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trailer

First recorded in 1580–90; trail + -er ¹

Explanation

A trailer is a wheeled vehicle that can't move on its own — it needs to be pulled by a car, truck, or other vehicle. Some bike-riding parents tow their small children behind them in bicycle trailers. The trailer you might put a boat on, hitching it to your truck, trails behind the vehicle that's pulling it. Another meaning of trailer is a film preview or advertisement that theaters show before a movie. It might seem strange to call it a trailer when it comes first, but the earliest trailers, at the start of the 20th century, came after the movie, trailing it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trailer trailers

In the show's trailer, external, they are seen arriving in a church, smiling as they greet each other, but looking nervous.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

This conversation, which took place in a backstage trailer vibrating from the country and hip-hop tunes emanating from nearby stages, has been edited for length and clarity.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

Nvidia trailer thieves end up with 20 tons of sand.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

Caterpillar and WM built a Wi-Fi network with portable towers that connect the dozer to a command trailer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Our trailer is tiny, even for a trailer, so Mom and I were bumping into each other as we rushed around trying to brush our teeth, dress, and eat breakfast.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

Intermodal containers and trailers carried on U.S. railroads in the week ended Sept. 19, up 6.9% from a year earlier, according to the Association of American Railroads.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

License plates are used to connect registered vehicles to their owners and are issued to all passenger vehicles, including commercial motor vehicles, motorcycles, permanent trailers, trailer coaches and park trailers registered in the state.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Ordinarily, I try not to spend too much of my one precious life watching Marvel trailers — or Marvel movies, for that matter.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

Flatbed trucking, which utilizes trailers with no roof or sides to haul heavy and often odd-size equipment, are at the center of the data-center boom.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

The place is empty except for the pickup trucks and trailers at the other end of the parking lot that belong to the horse people who come and ride the trails on the weekends.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Related Words

• mobile home