A
Tractor Beam is a
fictional device used in many
science fiction stories. Used primarily on
starships, tractor beams "grab" onto escaping ships or for that matter any kind of object in
space or in
atmosphere and pull them towards the person operating the beam, hence "
tractoring". The idea behind tractor beams is that they somehow grab hold of matter and are able move it around at will.
Tractor beams are used in Star Trek, Star Wars and just about any major SF story. Tractor beams don't exist per se, but are probably more or less possible, the concept being more or less allowed within physical laws.