troughs

noun

plural of trough
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
as in ditches
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 gutters
a pipe or channel for carrying off water from a roof the troughs on the eaves of the house were clogged with leaves

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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 troughs The government also estimates nearly 200,000 deaths could result from a megaquake from two troughs off Japan’s northern coasts. — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026 And there are six possible ways for two crests and two troughs to meet, causing the waves to completely cancel out and produce a flat surface (destructive interference). — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 This smear is described mathematically by a wave function which, like a classical wave, has peaks and troughs. — Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026 Trotter’s team had prepped the property with water troughs and alfalfa hay, which drew in the animals. — Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026 For water that cannot be emptied, such as horse troughs or ponds, consider adding mosquito dunks containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, or Bti. — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 12 Sep. 2026 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 Free mosquitofish are also available through the Butte County Mosquito and Vector Control District for ponds, troughs and other standing water that cannot be drained. — Jessie Baltaxe, CBS News, 13 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troughs
  1. pipes
  2. ditches
  3. gutters
  4. conduits
  5. trenches
  6. tubes
  7. ravines
  8. channels
Noun
  • Originally designed to help farmers join wire on their fences, Gripple now makes devices for a multitude of industries with a focus on installing pipes and ductwork.
    — Jane Miller, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The sinking will be carried out not with explosives, as was the past norm, but by opening valves connected to huge, disconnected boiler pipes to allow water to flood in.
    — Rachel Nuwer, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of pipes
Noun
  • Culex mosquitoes can breed in a wide range of habitats, including storm drains, roadside ditches, retention ponds, wetlands and other standing water.
    — Kylee Rae Noel, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Hilly woods or swamps with lots of folds, ditches, and creeks are best for ground hunting.
    — Colin Moore, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of ditches
Noun
  • Cleaning gutters, clearing plumbing clogs, and even regularly dusting a home are essential tasks.
    — Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Officials urged displaced residents to check on their properties, clear gutters and remove debris before the rain arrives.
    — Jasmine Viel, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of gutters
Noun
  • Nord Stream 1 and 2 are two major conduits created to funnel Russian gas to Europe, via Germany.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Hailed as a bold experiment seven years ago, the Sanfic-Morbido Lab, part of Sanfic’s industry section Sanfic Industria, has evolved into one of the region’s most consistent conduits for fantastic/genre filmmaking.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of conduits
Noun
  • Digging trenches to lay fiber optic cables and installing new cell towers do create local impacts, which is why local governments have sought permitting authority.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Looking ahead, Merrony said his team plans to widen two excavation trenches over two buildings at the site.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of trenches
Noun
  • The nearly century-old prison, its dank corridors lit by flickering fluorescent tubes, is now closing, and its more than 1,000 inmates are moving to a new penitentiary complex.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026
  • This step involved running two clear glass tubes along my face to reduce puffiness and firm up the skin.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of tubes
Noun
  • This 150-acre Clayton County preserve sits near shopping centers and busy roads, but its trails wind through woodlands, ravines and ponds that feel worlds away from metro Atlanta.
    — Nicole Bennett, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Many more were imperiled by muddy water racing through the narrow ravines, sparking frantic rescue missions for dozens.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of ravines
Noun
  • Washington continues to strike Iranian targets while keeping diplomatic channels open.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The original tip about the arrests, Israel’s Channel 12 News later reported, came from Netanyahu’s chief of staff, who bypassed standard channels to personally reach the police commissioner.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of channels

Browse Nearby Words

trough
troughs
trounce
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Cite this Entry

“Troughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troughs. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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