TRACTION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does traction mean? 

• TRACTION (noun)
  The noun TRACTION has 2 senses:

1. the friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road)

2. (orthopedics) the act of pulling on a bone or limb (as in a fracture) to relieve pressure or align parts in a special way during healing

  Familiarity information: TRACTION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TRACTION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

adhesive friction; grip; traction

Hypernyms ("traction" is a kind of...):

friction; rubbing (the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another)

Domain category:

auto; automobile; car; machine; motorcar (a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(orthopedics) the act of pulling on a bone or limb (as in a fracture) to relieve pressure or align parts in a special way during healing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

his leg was in traction for several days

Hypernyms ("traction" is a kind of...):

pull; pulling (the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you)

Domain category:

orthopaedics; orthopedics (the branch of medical science concerned with disorders or deformities of the spine and joints)

 Context examples 

Many theories were offered up to explain it, but no one theory could ever get traction as the answer.

(Juno Solves 39-Year Old Mystery of Jupiter Lightning, NASA)

An extraoral orthodontic appliance designed to create traction for growth modification, tooth movement and anchorage.

(Orthodontic Headgear, NCI Thesaurus)