trestle

noun

tres·​tle ˈtre-səl 

 also  ˈtrə-

variants or less commonly tressel

1

: a braced frame serving as a support

2

: horse sense 2b

3

: a braced framework of timbers, piles, or steelwork for carrying a road or railroad over a depression

Examples of trestle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But Larry Ames — who led the unsuccessful fight to save the Willow Glen trestle — did one better by writing a book on the subject. —Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025

Crafted from a durable stained pine, this solid wood table with trestle legs is just the right kind of sturdy centerpiece for a dining setup. —Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025

The train chugs past the Chugach Mountains and across Hurricane Gulch atop a 296-foot-high trestle bridge. —The Editors, Outside, 31 Aug. 2025

The structure is made up of two towers that look a bit like train trestles and a drawbridge-looking structure that helped bounce the sound toward the audience. —Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 22 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English trestel, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *trastellum, from Latin transtillum, diminutive of transtrum traverse beam, from trans across — more at through entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing trestle

• trestle table

Rhymes for trestle

• cresol
• decile
• nestle
• pestle
• sessile
• vessel
• wessel
• wrestle
• subsessile

Kids Definition

trestle

noun

tres·​tle ˈtres-əl 

1

: a braced frame consisting usually of a horizontal piece with spreading legs at each end that supports something (as the top of a table)

2

: a structure of timbers or steel for carrying a road or railroad over a valley