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

Etymology

Origin of trunk

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

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

A year later, he fled to the U.S., crossing the border from Mexico hiding in the trunk of a car.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

In 2018, more than 50% of trunk line segments were more than 65 years old and 11% were more than 100 years old, the report states.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Still, trunk lines appear to be in better condition than the utility’s mainlines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

A section of Sunset Boulevard could continue to be closed for days as crews repair a ruptured trunk line that inundated West Hollywood with about 17 million gallons of water last week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 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

He added that removing or dealing with tree trunks or roots in water is not the responsibility of the state government which he works for but Niwa which handles inland waterways.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

They also used instruments that measured CO2 levels in tree canopies every hour and sensors attached to tree trunks that tracked tiny changes in trunk size throughout the day.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

He's also described a naval cadet's arm "like steel" and called Jaxson Dart, quarterback for the New York Giants football team, a "beautiful guy" with "legs like tree trunks."

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

Others took inventory of the hastily packed belongings in their trunks or snoozed as comfortably as they could in plastic chairs at the evacuation site.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

Huge, fallen trunks were strewn across the campsite.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

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