trench

1 of 2

noun

ˈtrench 

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

trench

2 of 2

verb

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

Synonyms

Noun

• dike
• ditch
• fosse
• foss
• gutter
• sheugh [chiefly Scottish]
• trough

Verb

• border (on)
• touch (on)
• verge (on)

Examples of trench in a Sentence

Noun

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

Verb

that response trenches on outright rudeness

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov’s latest feature Real, his first since the 2021 Venice comp title Rhino, opens with a messy GoPro shot of Ukrainian soldiers taking cover in a shallow trench in the Donbas, the country’s front line in its defense against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the country. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 June 2024

Read Next California Horse loses footing, falls into trench. —Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 28 June 2024

Verb

Train employees on how to recognize and avoid trenching hazards. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2024

This collaboration proved out the concept: Rossi produced three other gardening tools on the table in front of Hunt: a five-claw hand rake, a large garden trowel and a trenching tool. —Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 25 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing trench

• slit trench
• trench coat
• trench fever
• trench foot
• trench mouth
• trench warfare

Kids Definition

trench

noun

ˈtrench

1

a

: a long narrow cut in the ground : ditch

b

: a ditch protected by a bank of earth used to shelter soldiers

2

: a long narrow steep-sided depression in the ocean floor