trainer
Americannoun
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trainers
plural
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a person or thing that trains.
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a staff member on an athletic team who gives first aid and therapy to injured players.
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a person who trains athletes; coach.
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a person who trains racehorses or other animals for contests, shows, or performances.
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an airplane or a simulated aircraft used in training aircrew members, especially pilots.
noun
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a person who trains athletes in a sport
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a piece of equipment employed in training, such as a simulated aircraft cockpit
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horse racing a person who schools racehorses and prepares them for racing
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(plural) an informal name for training shoes
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of trainer
Explanation
A trainer is someone who teaches or coaches someone, like the trainer at the gym who promises that she'll have you ready to run a marathon in four months. Some trainers can teach you how to do sit ups, while others can instruct you to program a computer or be an effective leader. Dog trainers teach dogs to follow commands — and they teach dog owners to give commands effectively. The noun trainer comes from the verb train, "to discipline or teach," from an earlier sense, "to manipulate to bring a desired form," the way a gardener trains a rose to grow up a trellis.
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.
See Examples For:
Most managers’ weak spots have nothing to do with their employees, says Pooja Kothari, a workplace diversity, equity and inclusion trainer.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
She started working as a personal trainer and taking beauty classes in the evening.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Andrea Wallace, a 24-year-old personal trainer in Austin, Texas, says bot-generated messages are appearing more in chats with romantic partners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Umberto did a good job of getting him to recover and his class won out,” winning trainer Michael McCarthy said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Leo wasn’t sure whether he felt relieved or insulted that the combat trainer was interrogating Frank, while Leo got the home economics teacher.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
One of my closest friends, his dad was a pastor so being around him, my trainers and my stepmom helped me grow in my faith.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Rennell said "the details aren't locked in" but that his organisation would cover the full cost of the flights, while other costs would be borne by owners and trainers.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
But just before the second-half hydration break, he dropped to the turf with a thigh injury that required attention from trainers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Prepubescent athletes have personal trainers, agents and cutthroat recruiting plans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Some trainers trimmed that leeway down to just a half pound.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
