Fortification. a long, narrow excavation in the ground, the earth from which is thrown up in front to serve as a shelter from enemy fire or attack.
trenches, a system of such excavations, with their embankments, etc.
a deep furrow, ditch, or cut.
Oceanography. a long, steep-sided, narrow depression in the ocean floor.
to surround or fortify with trenches; entrench.
to cut a trench in.
to set or place in a trench.
to form (a furrow, ditch, etc.) by cutting into or through something.
to make a cut in; cut into; carve.
a deep ditch or furrow
a ditch dug as a fortification, having a parapet of the excavated earth
to make a trench in (a place)
(tr) to fortify with a trench or trenches
to slash or be slashed
(intr; foll by on or upon) to encroach or verge
1350–1400; Middle English trenche path made by cutting < Old French: act of cutting, a cut, derivative of trenchier to cut < Vulgar Latin *trincāre , for Latin truncāre to lop; see truncate
A trench is a deep and narrow hole, or ditch, in the ground, like the kind soldiers on frontlines might dig to give themselves shelter from the enemy. A natural trench may also be a deep hole on the bottom of the ocean. The verb trench means to dig or to cut into, but you will most often hear the word as a noun, particularly relating to soldiers. The phrase trench warfare became popular around World War I, when technological advances in weapons changed the way that wars were fought. Today, you may have even own a trench coat, a kind of raincoat first worn by soldiers.
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Located just below the seafloor, this unusually weak layer allowed the fault to rupture all the way to the trench during the 2011 "megathrust" earthquake.
From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026
The whales were believed to have died in such numbers in this particular area because it is a popular foraging habitat -- and has a V-shaped trench that funnels carcasses to the seafloor.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
His goth uniform included an olive-green trench coat he borrowed from his mom.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Dennie Smith was standing in a recreated WW1 trench when she had a revelation.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
A tall, narrow figure in a trench coat and hat stands alone on the moonlit platform.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
