trackless trolley

6.7

A bus that uses electricity from wires above the street and does not run on tracks

noun
/ˈtrækləs ˈtrɑli/

: trolebús

Residents prefer the trackless trolley for its quiet and environmentally friendly operation.

Examples

A trackless trolley glided silently down the avenue, powered by the overhead wires.
The trackless trolley arrived on time.
The city plans to replace its old trackless trolleys with newer, more efficient models next year.
Many cities use trackless trolleys for public transport.
The city introduced a new trackless trolley service that travels on regular streets.
Passengers boarded the trackless trolley as it glided quietly through the downtown area.
Every morning, the trackless trolley picks up commuters from various stops along its route.

Synonyms

trolleybus

vstrackless trolley

1 6.0

A bus that runs on electricity from overhead wires

is the same vehicle named in a more descriptive or technical way

trolley coach

vstrackless trolley

4.6

A bus that runs on electricity from overhead wires to carry people

is the same vehicle but expressed as a general descriptive phrase

Surface Forms

trackless trolley singular

trackless trolleys plural

Morphology

trackless + trolley

The sense 'a trolley without tracks' is directly and compositionally derived from 'trackless' (lacking tracks) + 'trolley' (an electrically powered city vehicle), so a learner can infer an electrically powered bus that does not run on rails. This follows normal English compounding and the -less morphology, making the meaning immediately accessible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Trackless trolley comes from early vehicles that were like a trolley powered by wires above the street but had no tracks under them, so they were literally 'trackless'. That's why the term means an electric passenger bus that gets power from overhead wires and does not run on rails.