entrench
Americanverb
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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
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.
“If people see it as part of a broader pattern it is likely that inflation expectations will rise and that could entrench high inflation in the economy,” he warned.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
It is also possible that having five public companies in this ecosystem, instead of the current four, would further entrench Dolan and strengthen his control by making things even more complex.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
Without human capability, industrial capabilities, and credible institutions, mineral wealth can entrench dependency rather than reduce it.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 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
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.
