trough

[ trawf, trofor, sometimes, trawth, troth ]

noun

1. a long, narrow, open receptacle, usually boxlike in shape, used chiefly to hold water or food for animals.
2. any of several similarly shaped receptacles used for various commercial or household purposes.
3. a channel or conduit for conveying water, as a gutter under the eaves of a building for carrying away rainwater.
4. any long depression or hollow, as between two ridges or waves.
5. Oceanography. a long, wide, and deep depression in the ocean floor having gently sloping sides, wider and shallower than a trench. Compare trench ( def 4 ).
6. Meteorology. an elongated area of relatively low pressure.
7. the lowest point, especially in an economic cycle.

trough

/ trɒf /

noun

1. a narrow open container, esp one in which food or water for animals is put
2. a narrow channel, gutter, or gulley
3. a narrow depression either in the land surface, ocean bed, or between two successive waves
4. See ridge
   meteorol an elongated area of low pressure, esp an extension of a depression Compare ridge
5. a single or temporary low point; depression
6. physics the portion of a wave, such as a light wave, in which the amplitude lies below its average value
7. economics the lowest point or most depressed stage of the trade cycle

verb

1. informal.
   intr to eat, consume, or take greedily

trough

/ trôf /

1. The part of a wave with the least magnitude; the lowest part of a wave.
2. Compare crestSee more at wave
3. A narrow, elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure occurring at the ground surface or in the upper atmosphere, and often associated with a front.
4. Compare ridge

Derived Forms

• ˈtroughˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• troughlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trough¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English trōh; cognate with Dutch, German, Old Norse trog

Word History and Origins

Origin of trough¹

Old English trōh ; related to Old Saxon, Old Norse trog trough, Dutch trügge ladle

Example Sentences

Cooler air in the core of the trough aloft will help destabilize the atmosphere, and increase the winds in middle levels of the atmosphere.

From Washington Post

Outside of Austin, I found the NLand Surf Park, which had a mechanical wave that breaks using a man-made trough.

From Outside Online

The line is straighter where the peaks and troughs are less for now.

From Digiday

Like a wave on water, you can think of a light wave as a series of peaks and troughs moving through space.

From Singularity Hub 

With an influx of shoppers expected to flood to the site on its Prime Days on June 21 and 22, now is the time to put up an electric fence preventing Google from feeding off that valuable data trough.

From Digiday

Plunging toward the trough of a shockwave, the engine screams to a halt.

From The Daily Beast

It was time for the cattle to drink from their watering trough.

From The Daily Beast

In the famous case of Solyndra, newly released emails reveal what the feeding trough looks like.

From The Daily Beast

Over the course of two to three months they teach freshly weaned calves how to eat from a bunk and drink from a water trough.

From The Daily Beast

Strangely, the year marked a trough, since their 1996 return reported donations of $35,530.

From The Daily Beast

And right after that, some nice sour milk would come splashing down into the trough of the pen.

From Project Gutenberg

But there was nothing in the trough to eat, as yet, and the box seemed quite lonesome, for Squinty was all alone.

From Project Gutenberg

As soon as he was in it Squinty ran over to the trough, hoping there would be some sour milk in it.

From Project Gutenberg

None of his brothers or sisters was near him, and he could not hear his mamma or papa grunting near the feed trough.

From Project Gutenberg

His duty it was to stand at the head of the scalding trough, watch in hand, to "time" the length of the scald, crying "Hog in!"

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• trench