# trailer

Pronunciation: US say "TRAY-lur" /ˈtɹeɪlɚ/; UK say "TRAY-luh" /ˈtɹeɪlə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. A short promotional preview of a movie, video game, or TV show, made up of selected clips. *(US)*
   - Simple: A short video that shows bits of a movie, game, or show to get people excited about it.
   - _The studio released the first trailer for the sequel online last night._
   - _Critics complained that the trailer gave away the film's biggest twist._
2. An unpowered wheeled vehicle towed behind another to carry equipment or cargo that won't fit in the lead vehicle.
   - Simple: A vehicle with wheels but no engine that is pulled behind a car or truck to carry things.
   - _The contractor towed a flatbed trailer full of lumber to the site._
   - _We strapped the furniture down on the trailer before the long drive._
3. A furnished vehicle towed behind another and lived in as a home while parked. *(US)*
   - Simple: A vehicle with furniture inside that is towed behind another and used as a home when parked.
   - _The family parked their trailer at the campground for two weeks._
   - _She fixed up an old trailer into a cozy weekend home._
4. A prefabricated home that can be towed to a new site but is usually left permanently in an area zoned for manufactured housing. *(US)*
   - Simple: A factory-built home that can be moved but usually stays put in a special park.
   - _He grew up in a trailer at the edge of the city._
   - _The park rents lots to families who own their own trailers._
5. A person or thing that trails along behind, following after something else.
   - Simple: A person or thing that follows along behind something else.
   - _The scout walked ahead while the trailer kept watch over the rear._
   - _Among the geese, one straggler became the constant trailer of the flock._
6. A portion of an object that extends some distance beyond its main body.
   - Simple: A part of something that sticks out far past its main body.
   - _The comet showed a faint trailer of dust reaching across the sky._
   - _A loose trailer of fabric hung well past the hem of the gown._
8. The final part of a data packet, often containing a sequence used to check for errors.
   - Simple: The last section of a data packet, often holding a code that checks for errors.
   - _The router verifies the trailer before accepting the frame._
   - _A corrupted trailer causes the receiver to discard the entire packet._
9. The final record in a list of data items, often marked with a key value that sorts last, signaling the end of the set.
   - Simple: The last record in a list of data, marked so it always sorts to the end.
   - _The batch job recognized the trailer and closed the input file._
   - _Each dataset ended with a trailer record carrying an invalid key._
10. A short blank length of film at the end of a reel, used to feed the film conveniently into a projector.
   - Simple: A short blank strip of film at the end of a reel that helps load it into a projector.
   - _The editor spliced a fresh trailer onto the worn end of the reel._
   - _Without a trailer, the final frames often got damaged during threading._

## Verb

7. To load something onto a trailer, or to carry it by trailer.
   - Simple: To put something onto a trailer or move it using one.
   - _Owners often trailer their horses long distances to shows._
   - _The crew will trailer the equipment to the next site tomorrow._

## Origin

Formed from "trail" plus the suffix "-er". The film sense comes from the fact that previews were once shown after the main feature, rather than before it as is usual today.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/trailer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).