trench
A long, narrow ditch or hole in the ground; either manmade, or formed naturally through erosion or tectonic plate movement.
Example
“The trenches for installing the underground cables were dug with a trencher.”
Other meanings
A narrow excavation as used in warfare, as a cover for besieging or emplaced forces.
“The soldiers in the trenches rely on logistical support.”
A pit, usually rectangular with smooth walls and floor, excavated during an archaeological investigation.
A kind of
- ditch
Related words
- betrench
- countertrench
- detrench
- microtrench
- nanotrench
- retrench
- subtrench
- trenchful
- trenchless
- trenchlet
- trenchlike
- trenchline
Word history
From Old French "trenche".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “trench” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.