tractor

noun

trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər How to pronounce tractor (audio)
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
2
: an airplane having the propeller forward of the main supporting surfaces

Illustration of tractor

Illustration of tractor
  • tractor 1a

Examples of tractor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First responders in Illinois saved a man's life on Sunday after he was pinned in a creek underneath a tractor for possibly over 30 minutes. Elizabeth Pritchett, Fox News, 4 Nov. 2024 The truck is a tractor and a trailer, a tractor trailer combination. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2024 Wearing denim overalls, Garner could be seen in one clip riding around in a toy tractor with a chicken as her passenger in an attached cart. Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024 One reason that the neoclassical approach survived was that, regardless of its theoretical legitimacy, assigning a dollar value to different forms of capital—from tractors to memory chips—made conducting empirical research a lot easier. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tractor 

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin trahere

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tractor was in 1900

Dictionary Entries Near tractor

Cite this Entry

“Tractor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tractor. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

tractor

noun
trac·​tor ˈtrak-tər How to pronounce tractor (audio)
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 How to pronounce tractor (audio)
: an instrument used to exert traction on a body part or tissue (as in surgical procedures)
a urethral tractor
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