entrench
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to construct (a defensive position) by digging trenches around it
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(tr) to fix or establish firmly, esp so as to prevent removal or change
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(intr; foll by on or upon) to trespass or encroach; infringe
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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entrenchsimple
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entrenchessimple
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have entrenchedperfect
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has entrenchedperfect
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am entrenchingprogressive
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are entrenchingprogressive
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is entrenchingprogressive
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have been entrenchingperfect progressive
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has been entrenchingperfect progressive
Past
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entrenchedsimple
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had entrenchedperfect
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was entrenchingprogressive
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were entrenchingprogressive
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had been entrenchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of entrench
Explanation
To entrench is to secure something firmly. Entrench a tent pole in the ground so your tent doesn't fly away, or entrench yourself at your new job so you don’t get fired. Dig a little and see that entrench is from en meaning “in” and trench is from the Old French word trenche for "ditch,” just like the kind soldiers hide in. You don’t have to be a soldier to entrench, though — anytime a person or thing is securely inside something, it’s entrenched. If you entrench a swing set in your yard, it's solid. If a government entrenches a spy in another country, that spy blends right in.
Vocabulary lists containing entrench
This Week In Words: March 29–April 4, 2020
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Excerpt from "Self-Reliance"
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Vocabulary from "Love and Math" (Excerpt) by Edward Frenkel
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Denying American startups access to models available abroad would stifle competition, entrench incumbents, and function as a tax on intelligence," the letter from the Little Tech Association said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Over the long term, economists say China’s push to expand its factory floor worldwide could entrench its position as the dominant force in global manufacturing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The Justice Department has been looking at whether Netflix’s planned Warner deal could entrench its market power or lead to a monopoly, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
"We didn't let the enemy entrench in the grey zone and we stopped their storm groups," he said.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Grant had been criticized for not entrenching at Pittsburg Landing; Halleck, it seemed, was determined to entrench himself all the way from Pittsburg Landing to Corinth.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Still, budget watchdogs argue that subsidies are too generous and the system disproportionately benefits large farms, which entrenches consolidation in agriculture.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
The risk is a settlement that entrenches Iranian influence over Persian Gulf energy exports for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
Newcastle would prefer the riches of the Champions League, though even that competition further entrenches the position of the biggest clubs.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
It entrenches the idea of moviegoing as an exception, a rarity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023
Meanwhile, sad to say, Mr. Gladstone entrenches himself, and blocks up business by the Rules of Procedure.
From Memoir and Letters of Francis W. Newman by Sieveking, Giberne
But Vrticka says that change is gradual and professional support is likely to be needed for people with more entrenched attachment patterns.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The Brown decision was “a historic step forward” but it “just a beginning” in the fight against entrenched racial injustice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Africa's most populous country has been entrenched in an insurgency since 2009, and technological advancements by militants are not new.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Many of these winning candidates have unseated entrenched incumbents, as 29-year-old Colorado attorney Melat Kiros did to U.S.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Mutual Welfare League-style reforms threatened the entrenched power of certain inmates.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
As everyone waits to see how the bill fares in the Senate, below is a rundown of how a range of industries view proposals to “lock the clock” and “ditch the switch” by entrenching DST.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Britain’s economy expanded only slightly in August, entrenching a period of slow growth after the fast clip at the start of this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
It also risks further entrenching big pharma, which can afford to move its manufacturing and shift supply chains on whim.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2025
All of this creates a vicious cycle which feeds even more pressure back into an overwhelmed system, while entrenching disadvantage and fuelling distrust.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2025
There were already more than three hundred men squatting and kneeling on the top deck of the Heywood, rearranging their equipment in the dark—C rations, canteens, entrenching tools, gas masks, rounds of ammunition, steel helmets.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
