trailer

plural trailers

1. Someone who or something that trails (follows behind); something that is trailing.

   There were vehicles following me, of course, but was any of them trailing me? […] Without any warning, and without signalling with the trafficator, I took a sudden right turn, hoping to shake off my trailer.

   2014, Chris Ekpekurede, Laughing Over Serious Matters: Stories to Make You Laugh and Reflect

2. Part of an object which extends some distance beyond the main body of the object.

   the trailer of a plant

   Synonyms: appendage, attachment, appendix, extension, extrusion

3. 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.

   At the end of the day, we put the snowmobiles back on the trailer.

   3 more examples

   My trailer is a Highlander T-14 8G, one of the smallest trailers. I normally use it for carrying a pair of Sunfish sailboats that are much lighter than its 800-pound weight limit.

   1980 April, Greg Stone, “Utility hauling? Do it with your boat trailer”, in Popular Science, page 104

   Or you can slide the trailer′s tandem forward toward the tractor. This changes the kingpin weight because you changed the “A” dimension of the trailer along with its wheel-base.

   2004, Mike Byrnes & Associates, Bumper to Bumper: The Complete Guide to Tractor-Trailer Operations, page 310

   There is also a strong preference to avoid the cave effect associated with the front of most horse trailers and a strong desire to face the large opening between the top of the rear doors and the roof of the trailer.

   2009, Norman Edward Robinson, Kim A. Sprayberry, Current Therapy in Equine Medicine, page 122

4. USA furnished vehicle towed behind another, and used as a dwelling when stationary.

   We drove our trailer to Yellowstone Park.

   Synonyms: camper, caravan, travel trailer

5. USA prefabricated home that could be towed to a new destination but is typically permanently left in an area designated for such homes.

   The young couple′s first home was in a trailer.

   Synonyms: mobile home

6. USmediaA preview of a film, video game or TV show.

   The trailer for that movie makes it seem like it would be fun.

   1 more example

   It is possible to find cinemas that attract a more decorous audience. One of my regular haunts offers very expensive and rather quiet treats. Another serves full meals and wine at your seat, to be consumed by the time the trailers end.

   2026 September 11, Robert Shrimsley, “Does anyone still go to the cinema?”, in Financial Times

   Synonyms: preview, teaser

7. A short blank segment of film at the end of a reel, for convenient insertion of the film in a projector.
8. computingThe final record of a list of data items, often identified by a key field with an otherwise invalid value that sorts last alphabetically (e.g., “ZZZZZ”) or numerically (“99999”); especially common in the context of punched cards, where the final card is called a trailer card.

   The linked list terminates with a trailer record.

   Synonyms: sentinel

9. computingThe last part of a packet, often containing a check sequence.

   The encapsulation layer adds an eight-byte header and a two-byte trailer to each packet.

   Antonyms: header

present singular third person trailers · participle present trailering · participle past trailered · past trailered

1. To load on a trailer or to transport by trailer.

   The engine wouldn't run any more so we had to trailer my old car to the wrecking yard.