trench

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noun \ ˈtrench \

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

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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

The Spartans’ top player in the trenches earned All-KingCo 4A first-team honors on both sides of the ball as a junior.

— matt massey, The Seattle Times, "Kingco 4A Preview: Nash Fouch, Woodinville look poised for title repeat," 27 Aug. 2017
Familiarly for the Bears, that starts in the trenches.

— david haugh, chicagotribune.com, "After the music stops on QB situation, Bears have shot at being competitive," 25 Aug. 2017
Blanchard, Parrish and Chabolla are returning starters in the trenches on both sides.

— alex riggins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Manzanita League football preview," 19 Aug. 2017
A museum was built of wood logs and small windows with iron grids, an echo of the trenches the Nazis dug before the Soviet charge.

— alison smale, New York Times, "At the Site of Germany’s Biggest World War II Battle, a Changing View of History," 18 July 2017
In one test tunnel formed by a balloon, engineers measured a 25-centimeter-per-year contraction versus a 27-centimeter-per-year contraction for a traditional trench.

— eli kintisch, Science | AAAS, "Massive balloons help polar scientists build underground tunnels," 13 July 2017
Ridgeway's four-man fireteam charged an enemy trench line.

— michael e. ruane, chicagotribune.com, "Marked dead in Vietnam, Marine endures a long journey back to life," 8 July 2017
The television journalists with their trench coats and stentorian inflections.

— a. o. scott, New York Times, "Review: In ‘The Reagan Show,’ No Grenada but Lots of the Arms Race," 29 June 2017
In the same way that football is a game of inches, Maintenance Mania is often, in the same way, won in the trenches, with the winners and the also-rans separated by mere fractions of seconds.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram.com, "Is Bedford home to the handiest handy-man in the country?," 16 June 2017

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

See Words from the same year

trench Synonyms

Synonyms

dike, fosse (or foss), gutter, sheugh [chiefly Scottish], ditch, trough

Related Words

acequia [Southwest], culvert, drain, draw, gully (also gulley), ravine; drill, furrow; ha-ha, moat, stank [British dialect], sunk fence; kennel

Other Military Terms

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

trench

verb

Definition of trench

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

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