Train Definition & Meaning

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    • Synonyms train American [treyn] / treɪn /

    noun

    1. Railroads. a self-propelled, connected group of rolling stock.

    2. a line or procession of persons, vehicles, animals, etc., traveling together.

    3. Military. an aggregation of vehicles, animals, and personnel accompanying an army to carry supplies, baggage, ammunition, etc.

      Synonyms: convoy

    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.

      Synonyms: arrangement, array

    7. something that is drawn along; a trailing part.

    8. an elongated part of a skirt or robe trailing behind on the ground.

    9. a trail or stream of something from a moving object.

    10. a line or succession of persons or things following one after the other.

      Synonyms: column, file

    11. a body of followers or attendants; retinue.

    12. a series of proceedings, events, ideas, etc.

    13. the series of results or circumstances following or proceeding from an event, action, etc.; aftermath.

      Disease came in the train of war.

    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.

    16. a line of combustible material, as gunpowder, for leading fire to an explosive charge.

    17. Physics. a succession of wave fronts, oscillations, or the like.

    verb (used with object)

    1. to develop or form the habits, thoughts, or behavior of (a child or other person) by discipline and instruction.

      to train an unruly boy.

    2. to make proficient by instruction and practice, as in some art, profession, or work.

      to train soldiers.

      Synonyms: school, practice, drill, drill, exercise

    3. to make (a person) fit by proper exercise, diet, practice, etc., as for an athletic performance.

    4. to discipline and instruct (an animal), as in the performance of tasks or tricks.

    5. to treat or manipulate so as to bring into some desired form, position, direction, etc..

      to train one's hair to stay down.

    6. Horticulture. to bring (a plant, branch, etc.) into a particular shape or position, by bending, pruning, or the like.

    7. to bring to bear on some object; point, aim, or direct, as a firearm, camera, telescope, or eye.

    8. Archaic. to entice; allure.

    verb (used without object)

    1. to give the discipline and instruction, drill, practice, etc., designed to impart proficiency or efficiency.

    2. to undergo discipline and instruction, drill, etc.

    3. to get oneself into condition for an athletic performance through exercise, diet, practice, etc.

    4. to travel or go by train.

      to train to New York.

    train British / treɪn /

    verb

    1. (tr) to guide or teach (to do something), as by subjecting to various exercises or experiences

      to train a man to fight

    2. (tr) to control or guide towards a specific goal

      to train a plant up a wall

    3. (intr) to do exercises and prepare for a specific purpose

      the athlete trained for the Olympics

    4. (tr) to improve or curb by subjecting to discipline

      to train the mind

    5. (tr) to focus or bring to bear (on something)

      to train a telescope on the moon

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

    noun

      1. a line of coaches or wagons coupled together and drawn by a railway locomotive

      2. ( as modifier )

        a train ferry

    2. a sequence or series, as of events, thoughts, etc

      a train of disasters

    3. a procession of people, vehicles, etc, travelling together, such as one carrying supplies of ammunition or equipment in support of a military operation

    4. a series of interacting parts through which motion is transmitted

      a train of gears

    5. a fuse or line of gunpowder to an explosive charge, etc

    6. something drawn along, such as the long back section of a dress that trails along the floor behind the wearer

    7. a retinue or suite

    8. proper order or course

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 train Idioms

      More idioms and phrases containing train

      • gravy train

    Related Words

    See teach.

    Other Word Forms

    • half-trained adjective
    • minitrain noun
    • mistrain verb
    • nontrained adjective
    • overtrain verb
    • pretrain verb (used with object)
    • self-trained adjective
    • semitrained adjective
    • supertrain verb
    • trainable adjective
    • trainless adjective
    • undertrain verb (used with object)
    • undertrained adjective
    • untrained adjective
    • well-trained adjective

    Etymology

    Origin of train

    First 1350–1400; (verb) late Middle English traynyn “to pull or drag in the rear,” from Middle French trainer, Old French tra(h)iner, from unattested Vulgar Latin tragīnāre, derivative of unrecorded tragīna “something dragged or drawn” (compare Medieval Latin tragīna “carriage”), derivative of unattested tragere “to pull,” for Latin trahere; (noun) Middle English train, traine, from Old French tra(h)in (masculine) “series of people, animals, or things,” tra(h)ine (feminine) “something dragged behind,” both derivative of tra(h)iner

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    When her kids went off to college, she finished her training as a therapist and went into practice.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    Health visitors are registered nurses or midwives who have additional training in community public health nursing.

    From BBC

    There, professionally trained staff can teach children how to play, explore, and negotiate conflicts with other children - all of which helps stimulate their brains.

    From BBC

    The company is also getting access to Groq’s technology that is designed for efficiently running “inferencing,” where trained AI models generate output.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    A passenger has described "chaos" after two trains collided head-on near Peru's most popular tourist attraction, Machu Picchu.

    From BBC

    Related Words

    • care for
    • develop
    • discipline
    • educate
    • equip
    • improve
    • instruct
    • qualify
    • study
    • teach
    • tutor
    • work out

    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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