trailer

[trey-ler]

noun

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.

trailer

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of trailer¹

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

Example Sentences

Eddie’s death is likely to reverberate with Dustin in the upcoming season, who is seen in the trailer wearing his Hellfire Club T-shirt.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I am a girl who loves my island and the girl who loves the sea,” Laga’aia as Moana sings in the opening moments of the trailer.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On Sunday, Wambugu's team relocated five giraffes in an operation that required dozens of people, trailers, a plow -- and even a helicopter that tracked the animals across the plains, before shooting them with tranquiliser darts.

Read more on Barron's

One of the main reasons viewers tune in is to see trailers for upcoming and unannounced games.

Read more on BBC

Separately on Monday, army chief General Upendra Dwivedi issued a pointed warning to Pakistan, comparing the brief May conflict to a "trailer" rather than a full-length film.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• mobile home