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Synonyms

trailer

American  
[trey-ler] / ˈtreɪ lər /

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 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

"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 trailer

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

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.

The book sits atop the New York Times paperback trade fiction bestseller list dated April 12, and has been on the list since last summer—around the time the movie’s trailer was released.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

In footage shared earlier this week, Woods told officers that he was briefly distracted by his phone before he clipped the trailer of a vehicle in front of him.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2026

Woods was arrested after his SUV clipped a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck on Jupiter Island, Florida, near his home.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

The latest trailer sees the characters leave the classroom behind and follows them in early adulthood.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

I was sitting in front of the trailer fooling with the calculator when Annie strolled over carrying one of her poetry books.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.