trailer

[ trey-ler ]

/ ˈtreɪ lər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR trailer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a large van or wagon drawn by an automobile, truck, or tractor, used especially in hauling freight by road.Compare full trailer, semitrailer.

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.Compare tent trailer.

a person or thing that trails.

a trailing plant.

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

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

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

Nearby words

trail rope, trailable, trailblaze, trailblazer, trailboard, trailer, trailer camp, trailer car, trailer park, trailer trash, trailhead

Origin of trailer

First recorded in 1580–90; trail + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for trailer

After the release of the trailer for the special last week, TLC received a requisite and perhaps well-deserved tongue-lashing.
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Production expenses: equipment rental, lights, lighting board, van rental, trailer rental, road cases, backline.
How Much Money Does a Band Really Make on Tour?|Jack Conte|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crime-fighting penguins, says the trailer, are “masters of the skies, espionage, and aerial assault.”
Lovable ‘Madagascar’ Penguins Are Known to Rape and Torture in Real Life|Asawin Suebsaeng|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then I saw the trailer to Nightcrawler and texted him again and said, “Wow, you inspire me every day.”
Anna Kendrick on Feminism, #GamerGate, and the Celebrity Hacking Attack|Marlow Stern|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Banks grew up far from the trailer park—up on 152nd St. and Amsterdam in Harlem.
Azealia Banks Opens Up About Her Journey from Stripping to Rap Stardom|Marlow Stern|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I made the cash deposit to secure the return of the trailer.
Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
There were several instances in which I had to intervene when Oswald picked up some of Mrs. Hall's things to place in the trailer.
Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
"And when Gramma's rested, we can pull the trailer and kind of hike along toward them apples," Grandpa said stoutly.
Across the Fruited Plain|Florence Crannell Means
Merle recoiled, but the grip of the trailer was not to be broken.
Old Broadbrim Into the Heart of Australia|Author of "Old Broadbrim"
Say much more, young man, and I'll take you out in the trailer.
The Rebellion of Margaret|Geraldine Mockler

British Dictionary definitions for trailer

trailer

/ (ˈtreɪlə) /

noun

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

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

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

a person or thing that trails

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

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