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  1. Railroads. a self-propelled, connected group of rolling stock.
  3. Military. an aggregation of vehicles, animals, and personnel accompanying an army to carry supplies, baggage, ammunition, etc.
  4. a series or row of objects or parts.
  5. Machinery. a connected set of three or more rotating elements, usually gears, through which force is transmitted, or motion or torque changed.
  6. order, especially proper order: Matters were in good train.
  7. something that is drawn along; a trailing part.
  11. a body of followers or attendants; retinue.
  14. a succession of connected ideas; a course of reasoning: to lose one's train of thought.
  15. Astronomy.
    1. the trace of light created by a meteor falling through the earth's atmosphere.
    2. the tail of a comet.
  17. Physics. a succession of wave fronts, oscillations, or the like.
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verb (used with object)
  6. Horticulture. to bring (a plant, branch, etc.) into a particular shape or position, by bending, pruning, or the like.
  8. to entice; allure.
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verb (used without object)
  2. to undergo discipline and instruction, drill, etc.
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Origin of train

Related formstrain·less, adjectivehalf-trained, adjectivemin·i·train, nounmis·train, verbnon·trained, adjectiveo·ver·train, verbpre·train, verb (used with object)self-trained, adjectivesem·i·trained, adjectivesu·per·train, verbun·der·train, verb (used with object)un·der·trained, adjectiveun·trained, adjectivewell-trained, adjective

Synonym study

18, 19. See teach.


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Examples from the Web for train

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • They walked rapidly to the station, but too late, of course, for the train.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • The lawyer left them at the next station to wait for a train back to Butte.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • As the train started he swung himself off with a sad little "Be good to yourself!"

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • And now, as the train took her swiftly to her fate, she made the best of it.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson


British Dictionary definitions for train


  1. (tr) to guide or teach (to do something), as by subjecting to various exercises or experiencesto train a man to fight
  2. (tr) to control or guide towards a specific goalto train a plant up a wall
  3. (intr) to do exercises and prepare for a specific purposethe athlete trained for the Olympics
  4. (tr) to improve or curb by subjecting to disciplineto train the mind
  5. (tr) to focus or bring to bear (on something)to train a telescope on the moon
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    1. a line of coaches or wagons coupled together and drawn by a railway locomotive
    2. (as modifier)a train ferry
  1. a sequence or series, as of events, thoughts, etca train of disasters
  3. a series of interacting parts through which motion is transmitteda train of gears
  4. a fuse or line of gunpowder to an explosive charge, etc
  6. a retinue or suite
  7. proper order or course
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Derived Formstrainable, adjectivetrainless, adjective

Word Origin


Word Origin and History for train


early 14c., "a drawing out, delay," later "trailing part of a skirt" (mid-15c.), also "retinue, procession" (mid-15c.), from Old French train (fem. traine), from trainer "to pull, draw," from Vulgar Latin *traginare, extended from *tragere "to pull," back-formation from tractus, past participle of Latin trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (n.1)).

Train of thought first attested 1650s. The railroad sense is recorded from 1820 (publication year, dated 1816), from notion of a "train" of wagons or carriages pulled by a mechanical engine.

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"instruct, discipline, teach," 1540s, probably from earlier sense of "draw out and manipulate in order to bring to a desired form" (late 14c.), specifically of the growth of branches, vines, etc. from mid-15c.; from train (n.). The meaning "to travel by railway" is recorded from 1856. Related: Trained; training.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with train


In addition to the idiom beginning with train

also see:

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