在机械工程中，牵引力是指包括汽车、铁路机车、自行车等轮式车辆载具的传动系统对车轮产生以旋转力矩，通过动轮与地面或钢轨之间的相互作用而产生。力的作用方向与车辆运动方向相同，力的大小取决于原动机的功率和车辆的运动速度，可由车辆用户根据需要而控制。

牵引力的计算在铁路机车车辆方面尤其常见，是重要的性能指标之一。实际应用的机车牵引力按照力的传递过程可分为几种，由动轮轮周上作用力而产生的切向外力，称为轮周牵引力；车钩牵引力（或称挽钩牵引力）是指机车用来牵引列车的牵引力，等于轮周牵引力减去机车全部运行阻力。而根据车辆的工作状态，牵引力又可分为起动牵引力、持续牵引力和最大牵引力。起动牵引力是指车辆从静止状态起动时所能够发出的牵引力，其发挥受到粘着限制；最大牵引力是指车辆在不对自身机械构成破坏的情况下所能发出的最大牵引力，其值通常与起动牵引力相同；持续牵引力是车辆在持续速度上对应的牵引力。

As used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force can either refer to the total traction a vehicle exerts on a surface, or the amount of the total traction that is parallel to the direction of motion.

In railway engineering, the term tractive effort is often used synonymously with tractive force to describe the pulling or pushing capability of a locomotive. In automotive engineering, the terms are distinctive: tractive effort is generally higher than tractive force by the amount of rolling resistance present, and both terms are higher than the amount of drawbar pull by the total resistance present (including air resistance and grade). The published tractive force value for any vehicle may be theoretical—that is, calculated from known or implied mechanical properties—or obtained via testing under controlled conditions. The discussion herein covers the term's usage in mechanical applications in which the final stage of the power transmission system is one or more wheels in frictional contact with a roadway or railroad track.