trainer
Americannoun
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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:
This is the most important duty for athletic trainer or athletic director right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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
So Ohashi started working with a personal trainer, lifting weights for three hours a day for four days a week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
There were early concerns for Djokovic when he pulled up and immediately called for the trainer after injuring his lower left leg at 4-4 in the first set.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
“This is trainer Tom Smith speaking,” came the voice over the line.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is pushing company employees to ditch their usual suit and tie for more casual attire, featuring t-shirts, trainers - and shorts.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the lawsuit, Dickey’s parents alleged that Bucknell athletic trainers and coaches knew their son had sickle cell trait and failed to take steps to ensure precautions were in place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Prepubescent athletes have personal trainers, agents and cutthroat recruiting plans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Wearing pink trainers, yellow socks and a beige-and-brown uniform, Ndom trained with a team of boys who arrived in the Canaries as unaccompanied minors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Most of these boys knew nothing of racing when they began and were completely at the mercy of their trainers.
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.
