trunk line

noun

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Definition of trunk line

1 : a transportation system (such as an airline, railroad, or highway) handling long-distance through traffic

2 a : a main supply channel (as for gas or oil)

b : trunk 5b

Recent Examples of trunk line from the Web

Internet service — essential to placing an order — cuts out frequently during the best of times and goes down entirely for weeks or months during winter, when the trunk line to Srinagar, the state capital, is damaged under the snow.

— New York Times, "Delivering Amazon Packages to the Top of the World," 2 July 2018
The new red-carpet worry is cleavage lines For firming the jaw and neck and getting rid of tree trunk lines, radiofrequency micro-needling has taken over.

— ingrid schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, "Derm-to-the-Stars Harold Lancer Says Big Butts Are Out, Lifted Nose Tips Are In," 27 June 2018
Water filtered through that grid into two larger sideline drains that fed a main trunk line north of the field.

— sara cardine, latimes.com, "LCHS football field gets drainage upgrade after rains gang up on gridiron," 13 June 2018
In February 2017, a sewage trunk line south of the border ruptured.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Congresswoman wants Navy to help fight Mexican sewage spills," 23 Apr. 2018
The complex, coast-to-coast trunk lines of Ma Bell might take a year or more to reconnect.

— nan randall, The Atlantic, "'Charlottesville': A Government-Commissioned Story About Nuclear War," 25 Jan. 2018
Speaking in cadence while sitting atop trunks lined up as railcars, Bess and Beth reenact their excited train trip to meet the City of Benares.

— OregonLive.com, "'Lifeboat' tells teens' terrifying World War II survivors' tale," 15 Jan. 2018
Alaska’s 1,400-mile portion of the international project includes a land trunk line between Fairbanks and the Prudhoe Bay oil fields that went live in the spring.

— rachel d'oro, The Seattle Times, "Taken for granted elsewhere, high-speed internet to bring big change to remote Alaska," 25 Dec. 2017
By pure coincidence, that happened to be the tone AT&T used to reset its trunk lines.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Iconic hacker booted from conferences after sexual misconduct claims surface," 18 Nov. 2017

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

First Known Use of trunk line

1843

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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