trench foot

noun

: a painful foot disorder resembling frostbite and resulting from prolonged exposure to cold and wet

Examples of trench foot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Bennett also developed trench foot, which was common because of the cold, damp conditions. Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2024 For many American soldiers, learning about the jungle — including jaguars and trench foot — has meant confronting the limits of American technological prowess, inspiring a greater degree of humility. Damien Cave Mark Abramson, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2023 Perspiration needs to be managed; moisture increases the risk of hypothermia and trench foot. Danielle Bochove, Natalia Drozdiak, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Mar. 2023 The medics often see people with ailments including trench foot, frostbite, blisters from too-small boots, gout and infected lacerations, Burns says. oregonlive, 24 Feb. 2023 Russian military historians have attributed the comparatively low rate of frostbite and trench foot among Soviet forces to their old military practice of using layered linen foot bandages instead of socks. Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trench foot was in 1915

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Cite this Entry

“Trench foot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trench%20foot. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Medical Definition

trench foot

noun
: a painful foot disorder resembling frostbite and resulting from exposure to cold and wet
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