trailer
noun · verb
Simple meaning
a vehicle pulled by another, used for carrying things
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
traylerSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɹeɪlɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An unpowered wheeled vehicle (not a caravan or camper) that is towed behind another, and used to carry equipment, etc., that cannot be carried in the leading vehicle.
us
A furnished vehicle towed behind another, and used as a dwelling when stationary.
us
A prefabricated home that could be towed to a new destination but is typically permanently left in an area designated for such homes.
Someone who or something that trails (follows behind); something that is trailing.
Someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
A short blank segment of film at the end of a reel, for convenient insertion of the film in a projector.
verb
To load on a trailer or to transport by trailer.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An unpowered wheeled vehicle (not a caravan or camper) that is towed behind another, and used to carry equipment, etc., that cannot be carried in the leading vehicle.
Used this way, trailer is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use trailer
- “We watched the movie trailer before deciding to buy tickets.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A camp where space for house trailers can be rented.
A camp where space for house trailers can be rented.
A truck consisting of a tractor and trailer together.
Trucking rig with two trailers in tandem.
A truck consisting of a tractor and trailer together.
A trailer equipped for occupancy (especially for holiday trips).
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.