traction

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

traction

/ˈtɹæk.ʃən/ Australia, US, UK
/ˈtɹak.ʃən/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈtɾak.ʃən/ Scotland, Wales
/ˈtɹɛk.ʃən/ New Zealand

Rhymes with -ækʃən

Where it comes from

From Medieval Latin tractio, from Latin tractus, perfect passive participle of verb trahere (“pull”), + noun of action suffix -io (genitive -ionis).

noun tractions

uncountable, usually The act of pulling something along a surface using motive power. Horse traction was used for all but 23 years of the tramway's life.
uncountable, usually The condition of being so pulled.
uncountable, usually Grip.
uncountable, usually The pulling power of an engine or animal.
uncountable, usually The adhesive friction of a wheel etc on a surface.
uncountable, usually, after forms of gain Progress in or momentum toward achieving a goal, especially in gaining support, recognition, or popularity. I could not get any traction in trying to push through the legislation.
uncountable, usually, after forms of gain The extent of adoption of a new product or service, typically measured in number of customers or level of revenue achieved.
uncountable, usually, after forms of gain Popular support.
uncountable, usually, after forms of gain Scholarly interest and research. Despite this somewhat late start, the field of study has gained great traction globally, and since 2015 has even had its own journal: Linguistic Landscape: An International Journal.
uncountable, usually A mechanically applied sustained pull, especially to a limb.
uncountable, usually Collectively, the locomotives of a railroad, especially electric locomotives.
obsolete, uncountable, usually A traction engine. ‘Well,’ McCarthy answered, with a broad smile, when Dan stopped the puffing traction before his door[.]

verb tractions · tractioning · tractioned

transitive To apply a sustained pull to (a limb, etc.).

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: grip, adhesive friction, adherence, adhesion, pull, boost, propulsion, tensile, tension, haulage, impetus, impulse, extension, driving, towing, drawing

Translations

Every language

noun act of pulling something along a surface using motive power

Español	tracción
Português	tração
Italiano	trazione

noun adhesive friction of a wheel etc on a surface

Italiano	aderenza

noun extent of adoption of a new product or service

Italiano	spinta
Русский	подде́ржка poddéržka

noun mechanically applied sustained pull, especially to a limb

Español	tracción
Italiano	trazione

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"traction." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/traction. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

traction. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/traction

Chicago

"traction." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/traction.

BibTeX

@misc{traction_2026,
  title = {traction},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/traction},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}