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.

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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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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

A trailer was released last month, and the film will be released on 18 December - yes, the same day as Avengers: Doomsday, setting up a "Dunesday" heavyweight box office battle.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

The first trailer "spoofed everything from Star Wars to Avatar to Harry Potter", according to Variety's report from the screening.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

There was also a trailer on the property.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

He said he ran to save a trailer that was ablaze and even caught fire himself before firefighters doused him and the vehicle.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Home was, still is, a rusty old trailer stuck on the face of a mountain in Deep Water, in the heart of Fayette County.

From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant

Related Words

• mobile home