tractor

noun

trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər 

1

a

: a 4-wheeled or tracklaying automotive vehicle used especially for drawing farm equipment

b

: a smaller 2-wheeled apparatus controlled through handlebars by a walking operator

c

: truck entry 1 sense 1b

2

: an airplane having the propeller forward of the main supporting surfaces

Illustration of tractor

• tractor 1a

Examples of tractor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

John Deere showed off new autonomous tractor technology in vehicles that towered over attendees. —Kate Conger, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025

Family Farms is Broward County’s lone strawberry u-pick, home to 10 acres of strawberry plants, along with cows, chickens, bunnies and tractor hayrides that rumble to life on the weekends. —Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2025

And those who already purchased the tractors that dominate this category — the kinds that pull trailers across the nation’s highways, moving furniture, food and so much else — might be the wise ones. —Ken Roberts, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024

First planted in 1981 using French and Swiss clones, this dry-farmed organic vineyard has its own dedicated tractor and tiller to avoid spreading phylloxera between sites. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 15 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin trahere

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing tractor

• tractor trailer

Kids Definition

tractor

noun

trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər 

1

: a vehicle that has large rear wheels or moves on tracks and is used especially for pulling farm implements

2

: a short truck with no body used in combination with a trailer for hauling freight

Medical Definition

tractor

noun

trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər 

: an instrument used to exert traction on a body part or tissue (as in surgical procedures)

a urethral tractor