trough

noun

ˈtrȯf How to pronounce trough (audio)
Definition of troughnext
1
as in pipe
a long hollow cylinder for carrying a substance (as a liquid or gas) all of the wiring for the converted residential loft is concealed in a vertical trough

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in ditch
a long narrow channel dug in the earth I slid and fell into the trough by the side of the road, scraping my leg

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in gutter
a pipe or channel for carrying off water from a roof the troughs on the eaves of the house were clogged with leaves

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trough The strength of the polar vortex is vulnerable to the large ridges and troughs that form in lower levels of the atmosphere and influence how the jet stream moves. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026 This could happen smoothly with no stock impact, or trigger trough fears. — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026 Where the largest earners can afford to spend heavily year-on-year, the rest are beholden to peaks and troughs. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 On Wednesday, an upper-level trough — a bundle of lower pressure through the upper atmosphere — will push across Central California. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trough
  1. pipe
  2. ditch
  3. gutter
  4. conduit
  5. trench
  6. tube
  7. ravine
  8. funnel
Noun
  • Moreover, pumping so much cool water inside the caverns, which naturally have a higher temperature, can result in thermal shock, causing large pieces of salt to fall and break, potentially damaging the extraction pipes within the cavern.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The Russian bombs hit a pipe and the area was flooded in knee-deep water.
    — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of pipe
Noun
  • Northrop Grumman’s Raid Hunter aims to fill the last-ditch point-defense gap.
    — David Szondy August 19, New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Kellogg says that drafting a basic essay is as mentally taxing as digging a ditch is physically exhausting.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of ditch
Noun
  • Cornerstone Building Brands The Kearney plant, located near W Washington and W Major streets, manufactures a variety of building materials for residential and commercial uses, such as siding, windows, doors, stone veneer, fences and gutters.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Trees would need trimming, gutters would need cleaning, dead or dying plants would have to be removed.
    — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of gutter
Noun
  • Strait of Hormuz crossings remained uneventful over the past week as traffic remains subdued amid little progress in negotiations to reopen the vital oil conduit.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Nvidia's new funding conduit aims to treat compute infrastructure as an investable asset class.
    — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of conduit
Noun
  • Last night, Gerber continued her love affair with the do-everything, go-anywhere little black dress, wearing a knee-length slip beneath an oversized khaki trench.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Both sides have consequently dug legal and PR trenches to snipe at the other and rally endorsements.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of trench
Noun
  • The aircraft abandons the familiar tube-and-wing layout used by Boeing and Airbus.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026
  • These are usually available in jars, tubs, squeeze tubes, or pump bottles.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of tube
Noun
  • Built into a natural ravine, the stadium’s site was used for ancient Greek athletic contests and later Roman spectacles before falling into centuries of disuse.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Rising from near the Aegean coast to 9,573-foot Mytikas, Greece’s highest peak, the mountain encompasses forests, ravines, limestone cliffs, and alpine habitat with unusually rich plant diversity.
    — Bailey Berg, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of ravine
Noun
  • Whether those impressions lead to a sale is left for someone further down the funnel to figure out.
    — Ivan Doruda, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The AccuWeather team will be looking for smaller storm cells breaking off of the main line, which would give them freedom to begin rotating and potentially spin off a tornado funnel.
    — Karl Hille, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of funnel

Phrases Containing trough

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troublous
trough
troughs
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Cite this Entry

“Trough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trough. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on trough

Nglish: Translation of trough for Spanish Speakers

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