1
as in pipes
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
3
as in gutters
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
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Recent Examples of troughs
Water collected in the mesh drips down and is collected into troughs.
—
Daniella Garcia Almeida, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Her seventh novel follows longtime friends Laura Miller and Edmund Putnam, both languishing in personal and professional troughs.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Crests and troughs add together, sometimes making higher crests and lower troughs or sometimes canceling each other out.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 27 Nov. 2025
Coloe Fossae was shaped by powerful tectonics, which stretched and cracked Mars's crust, causing chunks of ground to collapse and form long, parallel troughs.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025
There are several weather systems (troughs and areas of high pressure) that will be tying to steer the system late this week and over the weekend.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The machine would use a pen to physically scribble waves with peaks and troughs onto paper scrolling at a rate of 1 centimeter per second to create an electroencephalogram (EEG).
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
This effect is amplified by the natural asymmetry of sea waves – their crests are typically sharper and steeper than their flatter troughs.
—Francesco Fedele, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2025
The hadal zone is primarily comprised of oceanic trenches and troughs — some of the deepest and least explored environments on Earth.
—Marlowe Starling, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025
Daniella Garcia Almeida, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Her seventh novel follows longtime friends Laura Miller and Edmund Putnam, both languishing in personal and professional troughs.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Crests and troughs add together, sometimes making higher crests and lower troughs or sometimes canceling each other out.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 27 Nov. 2025
Coloe Fossae was shaped by powerful tectonics, which stretched and cracked Mars's crust, causing chunks of ground to collapse and form long, parallel troughs.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025
There are several weather systems (troughs and areas of high pressure) that will be tying to steer the system late this week and over the weekend.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The machine would use a pen to physically scribble waves with peaks and troughs onto paper scrolling at a rate of 1 centimeter per second to create an electroencephalogram (EEG).
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
This effect is amplified by the natural asymmetry of sea waves – their crests are typically sharper and steeper than their flatter troughs.
—Francesco Fedele, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2025
The hadal zone is primarily comprised of oceanic trenches and troughs — some of the deepest and least explored environments on Earth.
—Marlowe Starling, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troughs
Noun
-
This black version is sporting optional saddlebags, windscreen and exhaust pipes.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Emily Demirdonder, director of operations and marketing at Proximity Plumbing, said the rubber backing deteriorates in hot water and breaks apart during the spin cycle, and those fragments can block drain pumps and drainage pipes—sometimes leading to flooding and machine failure.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This does not include cars that slide into ditches or crashes reported to local authorities.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
These joints were also designed to be lockable for bridging wide anti-tank ditches or canals.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Last but not least, make sure to clean your gutters and remove any clogs and debris before winter so that melting snow can freely drain away.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Keep yards well-drained by clearing gutters and creating swales or rain gardens.—
Nishaa Sharma,
The Spruce,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Drawing on the ancient tradition of praying to venerable trees — seen as conduits between heaven and earth — the installation reframes the practice as a symbolic bridge between Eastern spirituality and Western luxury.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Flag and general officers are not mere conduits of orders.—
Jon Duffy,
Mercury News,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the months before the surge in operations, police lost 25 armored vehicles to ambushes involving barricades, trenches and Molotov cocktail attacks, authorities said.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Brands like Dior, Jil Sander, and Calvin Klein styled their pairs with equally classic staples like button-downs, crewnecks, and trenches.—
Rosie Jarman,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These tubes can also reinforce polymers or metals while maintaining conductivity.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Three light tubes over the retail area were nonfunctional.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
January 30,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Low fence markers can be seen outlining the building zone along Route 2, which slopes along open land, wooded patches and some ravines.—
Anna Ortiz,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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Reached by regular ferry connections from Tenerife, the island is defined by dramatic ravines, ancient laurel forests and villages where daily life moves at a slower rhythm.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Start by reviewing your team’s communication channels and project boards early in Q1.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The University of Minnesota Extension recommends using warm water to melt small channels through the ice as a temporary solution.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Troughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troughs. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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