In Star Trek, a tractor beam pulls a ship or object through space without physical contact.
A tractor beam is a directed force field used to attract, hold, tow, or maneuver another object. Starfleet vessels commonly use tractor beams during docking operations, rescues, space-debris recovery, and attempts to restrain another spacecraft. The beam can also be used against people or smaller objects when the story requires it.
The fictional technology is usually described as operating through graviton-based forces. Its strength and range vary by vessel, power level, and circumstance, so it is not an unlimited form of remote control. Ships may resist a tractor beam with their engines, shields, structural strength, or another tractor beam.
A tractor beam is different from a transporter. A transporter moves matter by converting and reconstituting a pattern, while a tractor beam leaves the target intact and physically draws it through space.