oceanic trench
[ oh-shee-an-ik trench ]
/ ˌoʊ ʃiˈæn ɪk ˈtrɛntʃ /
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noun
a depression of significant depth in the ocean floor, usually about 2.0–2.5 miles (3–4 kilometers) deeper than the surface of the surrounding seafloor and about 30–60 miles (50–100 kilometers) wide, with a length that may span thousands of miles or kilometers: an integral element of plate tectonics.
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Also called o·cean trench [oh-shuhn trench], /ˈoʊ ʃən ˈtrɛntʃ/, deep-sea trench [deep-see-trench] /ˈdipˈsi ˈtrɛntʃ/ .
Origin of oceanic trench
First recorded in 1945–50
Words nearby oceanic trench
Oceanian, oceanic, oceanic crust, oceanicity, oceanic ridge, oceanic trench, Oceanid, ocean liner, ocean marine insurance, Ocean of Storms, oceanog.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use oceanic trench in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for oceanic trench
oceanic trench
noun
a long narrow steep-sided depression in the earth's oceanic crust, usually lying above a subduction zone
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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