trench

noun \ ˈtrench \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Definition of trench

1 a : a long cut in the ground : ditch; especially : one used for military defense often with the excavated dirt thrown up in front

b trenches plural : a place, position, or level at which an activity is carried on in a manner likened to trench warfare —often used in the phrase in the trenches

activists working in the trenches

2 : a long, narrow, and usually steep-sided depression in the ocean floor — compare trough

3 : trench coat

See trench defined for English-language learners

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Examples of trench in a Sentence

dug a trench and filled it with water in an attempt to keep the forest fire off her property

Recent Examples of trench from the Web

Children ran across a parking lot with a trench of crumbling concrete spanning nearly its entire width.

— richard webner, San Antonio Express-News, "Refugees flee war-torn homelands for deteriorating apartment complexes in S.A.," 30 June 2018
There are jumpsuits from Alexander McQueen, trench and trouser sets from Lanvin, and one red snake-print vest-and-pant ensemble from Versace that is strangely resplendent.

— steff yotka, Vogue, "The Spring 2019 Men’s Trend Report," 27 June 2018
The man, who requested that Euronews not disclose his name, came up with the idea after a rainstorm had filled his street with deep trenches of muddy water on Saturday.

— stephen tucker paulsen, Houston Chronicle, "Dallas man missing after Bolivar swim," 25 June 2018
Edward McConville, spent three days in the trenches of the Philippines before President McKinley suspended hostilities with Spain on Aug. 12, 1899.

— christina lords, idahostatesman, "He was the 1st Idahoan killed in action. And he died in a war you've probably never heard of. | Idaho Statesman," 27 May 2018
Yet her relative youth belies years of experience in the trenches of progressive politics.

— daniela altimari, courant.com, "Who Is Eva Bermudez Zimmerman? A Fresh Face With A History Of Activism," 25 May 2018
The crossover between Galvin’s campaign and those in his public office isn’t limited to the political trenches of filing signatures.

— matt stout, BostonGlobe.com, "More Galvin employees found helping campaign during business hours," 19 May 2018
Now, Estrada — who spent his time at Lyft in the trenches of local regulatory battles as the company launched into new cities — is taking on the challenge of e-scooters.

— johana bhuiyan, Recode, "Scooter-sharing startup Bird has hired former Lyft policy executive David Estrada to be its chief legal officer," 22 Mar. 2018
In Maryland, no special license is required to dig a trench.

— yvonne wenger, baltimoresun.com, "Investigation into fatal trench collapse at Baltimore park could take weeks," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trench.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of trench

Middle English trenche track cut through a wood, from Anglo-French, act of cutting, ditch, from trencher, trenchier to cut, probably from Vulgar Latin *trinicare to cut in three, from Latin trini three each — more at trine

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

trench Synonyms

Synonyms

dike, ditch, gutter, trough;

Related Words

culvert, drain, draw, gully (also gulley), ravine;

drill, furrow;

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

trench

verb

Definition of trench

trenched; trenching; trenches

transitive verb

1 : to make a cut in : carve

2 a : to protect with or as if with a trench

b : to cut a trench in : ditch

intransitive verb

1 a : entrench, encroach

trenching on other domains which were more vital
—Sir Winston Churchill

b : to come close : verge

2 : to dig a trench

Recent Examples of trench from the Web

If the active layer of insulation is disturbed during construction (i.e., trenching), permafrost could be vulnerable to thermokarst and subsidence during the summer due to exposure to higher temperatures.

— author: elwood brehmer, Anchorage Daily News, "Army Corps releases final EIS for in-state Alaska gasline," 24 June 2018
Many of Sunoco’s problems are related to its use of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to install large sections of the Mariner East 2 pipeline, which was supposed to avoid the disruptions of conventional open-trenching construction method.

— andrew maykuth, Philly.com, "Sunoco will temporarily relocate residents while it conducts pipeline sinkhole study," 2 Apr. 2018
Still in the plan is the suggestion to trench the downtown railroad tracks.

— phil diehl, sandiegouniontribune.com, "More walking, less parking in Carlsbad's latest Village-Barrio plan," 7 Feb. 2018
That idea also is being studied for Carlsbad, where a recent study estimated the cost of trenching at a minimum of $224 million, but with long-term economic benefits in the billions.

— phil diehl, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Work starts soon on Oceanside 'quiet zone'," 18 Aug. 2017
Gas lines will be relocated starting July 20 and the earth retention contractor will mobilize on the site and begin trenching the week of July 24.

— kimberly fornek, chicagotribune.com, "Hinsdale Middle School construction costs raise questions of village's share for parking deck," 17 July 2017
Over the years, human remains have been found nearby, most recently those of five individuals uncovered during trenching work last year on another project immediately across Fourth Street.

— tom lochner, The Mercury News, "Berkeley Shellmound EIR prompts call for do-over from landmarks commission," 8 Feb. 2017