trunk

American  

[truhngk] / trʌŋk /

noun

• trunks
  plural

1. the main stem of a tree, as distinct from the branches and roots.

2. a large, sturdy box or chest for holding or transporting clothes, personal effects, or other articles.

3. a large compartment, usually in the rear of an automobile, in which luggage, a spare tire, and other articles may be kept.

4. the body of a person or an animal excluding the head and limbs; torso.

5. Ichthyology. the part of a fish between the head and the anus.

6. Architecture.

   1. the shaft of a column.

   2. the dado or die of a pedestal.

7. the main channel, artery, or line in a river, railroad, highway, canal, or other tributary system.

8. Telephony, Telegraphy.

   1. a telephone line or channel between two central offices or switching devices that is used in providing telephone connections between subscribers generally.

   2. a telegraph line or channel between two main or central offices.

9. Anatomy. the main body of an artery, nerve, or the like, as distinct from its branches.

10. trunks,

    1. brief shorts, loose-fitting or tight, worn by men chiefly for boxing, swimming, and track.

    2. Obsolete. trunk hose.

11. the long, flexible, cylindrical nasal appendage of the elephant.

12. Nautical.

    1. a large enclosed passage through the decks or bulkheads of a vessel, for cooling, ventilation, or the like.

    2. any of various watertight casings in a vessel, as the vertical one above the slot for a centerboard in the bottom of a boat.

13. a conduit; shaft; chute.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or noting a main channel or line, as of a railroad or river.

trunk British  

/ trʌŋk /

noun

1. the main stem of a tree, usually thick and upright, covered with bark and having branches at some distance from the ground

2. a large strong case or box used to contain clothes and other personal effects when travelling and for storage

3. anatomy the body excluding the head, neck, and limbs; torso

4. the elongated prehensile nasal part of an elephant; proboscis

5. Also called: boot. an enclosed compartment of a car for holding luggage, etc, usually at the rear

6. anatomy the main stem of a nerve, blood vessel, etc

7. nautical a watertight boxlike cover within a vessel with its top above the waterline, such as one used to enclose a centreboard

8. an enclosed duct or passageway for ventilation, etc

9. (modifier) of or relating to a main road, railway, etc, in a network

   a trunk line

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subtrunk
  noun
• trunkful
  noun
• trunkless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trunks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of trunk

1400–50; late Middle English trunke < Latin truncus stem, trunk, stump, noun use of truncus lopped

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Explanation

The noun trunk refers to the main stem of a tree. If you want to make maple syrup, you need to tap the trunk of the maple tree and collect the tree's sap, which can then be boiled into a sticky syrup. The torso of the human body, from the neck to the groin — but not including the head, neck, arms, or legs — is sometimes referred to as the trunk. If you have hives on your trunk, you probably itch on your back, chest and abdomen. The word trunk comes from the Old French word tronc, which referred to the trunk of a tree or a headless body.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trunk trunks

Haines -- who lives on a small cattle property outside Wangaratta -- was getting something from the trunk of her car when her alleged attacker drove past in a Toyota Land Cruiser.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

It doesn’t have a shovel in it, but I bet I have one in my trunk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Laura added that Google Maps had previously shown incorrect speed limits on sections of the trunk road.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The rootstock forms the roots and lower trunk and helps determine how well the tree withstands disease and its environment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

By the time I looked up again, Marlene was charging off through the snow, chasing the dog away, trumpeting as she went, her trunk flailing, her ears in full sail.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

In Long Beach, cars lined up Saturday at a Peninsula parking lot as fire department workers loaded sandbags into trunks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Positioned inside the moving vehicle and zooming in, Ray’s camera captures what becomes a blur of foliage, trunks and limbs before the opening credits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

So they lifted her onto a makeshift raft made of banana trunks, and carried her through the rushing water towards safety.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Wisps of smoke rose from charred or crackling tree trunks between Le Porge and the village of Lege-Cap-Ferret to the south, AFP journalists said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Once familiar oaks and alders appeared strange to Taran; their dead leaves clung to the tangled branches and the black trunks jutted like charred bones.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

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Related Words

• bag
• chest
• coffin
• crate
• locker
• luggage
• suitcase

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