trussed; trussing; trusses
1
a
: to secure tightly : bind
b
: to arrange for cooking by binding close the wings or legs of (a fowl)
2
: to support, strengthen, or stiffen by or as if by a truss
trusser
noun
1
a
: an assemblage of members (such as beams) forming a rigid framework
b
2
: a device worn to reduce a hernia by pressure
3
: an iron band around a lower mast with an attachment by which a yard is secured to the mast
4
: a compact flower or fruit cluster
Synonyms
Examples of truss in a Sentence
Verb
She stuffed and trussed the duck.
after stuffing the turkey, the chef quickly trussed it so the forcemeat wouldn't fall out during roasting
Recent Examples on the Web
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 19 Mar. 2023
Movement of sound, decor, staging, trussing and lighting equipment happens through cargo boats via the waterways, and that comes at a premium.
—Praachi Raniwala, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Feb. 2023
Construction of the new U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge in western Kentucky will take a big step forward this week as crews plan to float a 700-foot steel truss up the river and install it, officials said.
—From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2022
Le Mec and his people knock Rory out with tranquilizers and truss her up by her wings to harvest her feathers.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2021
Watching Julia truss a goose or dress a salad niçoise felt like a salve.
—Julie Cohen, Variety, 5 Sep. 2021
Markets are unbowed with their gleaming-eyed oyster shuckers, their butchers taking five minutes to truss each quail, their oozing Camembert cheeses prompting debate about ripeness, their rum baba cakes with little syringes to inject the rum.
—New York Times, 30 Jan. 2021
Being trussed up like this did not lend itself to much mobility.
—David Canfield, EW.com, 29 Jan. 2020
At the other end is the caricature, butt of flabby jokes, trussed in Las Vegas gaud, voice prostituted to a huge orchestra.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2019
Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 21 June 2023
Roof beams, or trusses, had collapsed at a construction site one building over from the station, trapping three construction workers in the rubble at ground level and three on cherry pickers.
—Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
The astronauts will assemble a mounting bracket on the starboard side of the space station’s truss.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 15 Nov. 2022
But commercial building owners should also be inspecting wooden trusses if they were built in the mid-1970s to mid-’80s, Noffsinger said.
—Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Mar. 2023
In addition to support, bridges need some kind of stiffening truss—or framework of interconnected beams—to keep the structure rigid.
—Colin Dickey, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023
The truss for most bridges is supported independently of the suspension; in the Hercílio Luz, for example, a network of cross girders—a different kind of support-beam structure—beneath the roadway stabilizes the bridge’s truss.
—Colin Dickey, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023
The cost of preserving the truss would have been expensive, O’Sullivan said.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023
The estate sports an open timber truss design and is topped with a custom Italian slate roof.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2023
See More
Verb
On days when no one is visiting, in lieu of human flesh, large, heavy hunks of fatty pork trussed up with string hang from the rafters.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 19 Mar. 2023
Movement of sound, decor, staging, trussing and lighting equipment happens through cargo boats via the waterways, and that comes at a premium.
—Praachi Raniwala, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Feb. 2023
Construction of the new U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge in western Kentucky will take a big step forward this week as crews plan to float a 700-foot steel truss up the river and install it, officials said.
—From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2022
Le Mec and his people knock Rory out with tranquilizers and truss her up by her wings to harvest her feathers.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2021
Watching Julia truss a goose or dress a salad niçoise felt like a salve.
—Julie Cohen, Variety, 5 Sep. 2021
Markets are unbowed with their gleaming-eyed oyster shuckers, their butchers taking five minutes to truss each quail, their oozing Camembert cheeses prompting debate about ripeness, their rum baba cakes with little syringes to inject the rum.
—New York Times, 30 Jan. 2021
Being trussed up like this did not lend itself to much mobility.
—David Canfield, EW.com, 29 Jan. 2020
At the other end is the caricature, butt of flabby jokes, trussed in Las Vegas gaud, voice prostituted to a huge orchestra.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2019
Noun
The north and south family rooms feature Douglas fir cathedral ceilings with arched trusses and six skylights, plus double sliding glass doors to the massive ocean-facing deck.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 21 June 2023
Roof beams, or trusses, had collapsed at a construction site one building over from the station, trapping three construction workers in the rubble at ground level and three on cherry pickers.
—Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
The astronauts will assemble a mounting bracket on the starboard side of the space station’s truss.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 15 Nov. 2022
But commercial building owners should also be inspecting wooden trusses if they were built in the mid-1970s to mid-’80s, Noffsinger said.
—Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Mar. 2023
In addition to support, bridges need some kind of stiffening truss—or framework of interconnected beams—to keep the structure rigid.
—Colin Dickey, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023
The truss for most bridges is supported independently of the suspension; in the Hercílio Luz, for example, a network of cross girders—a different kind of support-beam structure—beneath the roadway stabilizes the bridge’s truss.
—Colin Dickey, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023
The cost of preserving the truss would have been expensive, O’Sullivan said.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023
The estate sports an open timber truss design and is topped with a custom Italian slate roof.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'truss.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English to pack, load, bind, from Anglo-French trusser, trousser, from Vulgar Latin *torsare, from *torsus twisted — more at torsade
First Known Use
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of truss was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing truss
Dictionary Entries Near truss
Cite this Entry
“Truss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truss. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
Medical Definition
truss
noun
: a device worn to reduce a hernia by pressure
More from Merriam-Webster on truss
Nglish: Translation of truss for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about truss
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