truss

1 of 2

verb

trussed; trussing; trusses

transitive verb

1
a
: to secure tightly : bind
b
: to arrange for cooking by binding close the wings or legs of (a fowl)
2
: to support, strengthen, or stiffen by or as if by a truss
trusser noun

truss

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an assemblage of members (such as beams) forming a rigid framework
2
: a device worn to reduce a hernia by pressure
3
: an iron band around a lower mast with an attachment by which a yard is secured to the mast
4
: a compact flower or fruit cluster

Examples of truss in a Sentence

Verb She stuffed and trussed the duck. after stuffing the turkey, the chef quickly trussed it so the forcemeat wouldn't fall out during roasting
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
It’s all trussed up in the delectable package of Anglophilia, with its odes to shadowy libraries, pub trips, endless cups of tea, and the pedestrian ease of navigating London. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 These joints would contain several different muscles, cut and trussed into a neat shape, that looks handsome on the plate, lends well to roasting, and allows thin, cohesive slices of meat to be cut from the cooked product. Olivia Potts, Longreads, 15 Feb. 2024 On days when no one is visiting, in lieu of human flesh, large, heavy hunks of fatty pork trussed up with string hang from the rafters. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 19 Mar. 2023 Movement of sound, decor, staging, trussing and lighting equipment happens through cargo boats via the waterways, and that comes at a premium. Praachi Raniwala, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Feb. 2023 Construction of the new U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge in western Kentucky will take a big step forward this week as crews plan to float a 700-foot steel truss up the river and install it, officials said. From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2022 Le Mec and his people knock Rory out with tranquilizers and truss her up by her wings to harvest her feathers. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2021 Watching Julia truss a goose or dress a salad niçoise felt like a salve. Julie Cohen, Variety, 5 Sep. 2021 Markets are unbowed with their gleaming-eyed oyster shuckers, their butchers taking five minutes to truss each quail, their oozing Camembert cheeses prompting debate about ripeness, their rum baba cakes with little syringes to inject the rum. New York Times, 30 Jan. 2021
Noun
The facility had received no significant improvements since the 1950s until the DNR in 2019 replaced all of the stunning glass building's steel trusses. Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 17 Feb. 2024 The brewery also has an outdoor beer garden, with the previous building’s metal trusses still running overhead. Daniel Hartis, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 Next to the mill is Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge — the namesake of the local elementary school and, according to a report to the State Highway Administration, the last surviving truss of its kind. Jillian Atelsek, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 The older theater building has bowstring trusses which give it a distinctive curved roof, but also poses a challenge when battling fires, Hopkins said. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2024 The structural trusses shattered and required an emergency $100,000 in repairs. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 27 Jan. 2024 The wood trusses involved in this latest collapse are not the top-chord hung trusses that were found at the gym and the thrift store, which both had flat roofs. Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Mar. 2023 Workers moved three of its four cranes off the job site, leaving the last one to place an end truss, which is a part of the roof. Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 2 Feb. 2024 The project includes replacing all of the structure’s steel trusses, as well as all of its Redwood lath roof, which defines the building’s exterior. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'truss.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English to pack, load, bind, from Anglo-French trusser, trousser, from Vulgar Latin *torsare, from *torsus twisted — more at torsade

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of truss was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near truss

Cite this Entry

“Truss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truss. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

truss

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to tie up tightly : bind
b
: to tie the wings or legs of for cooking
truss a turkey
2
: to support, strengthen, or stiffen by a truss

truss

2 of 2 noun
1
: a rigid framework of beams, bars, or rods
a truss for a roof
2
: a device worn to hold a hernia in place

Medical Definition

truss

noun
: a device worn to reduce a hernia by pressure

More from Merriam-Webster on truss

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