trench warfare

noun

1. combat in which each side occupies a system of protective trenches.

trench warfare

noun

1. a type of warfare in which opposing armies face each other in entrenched positions

trench warfare

1. Warfare marked by slow wearing down of the opposing forces and piecemeal gains at heavy cost. The term applies especially to World War I.

Word History and Origins

Origin of trench warfare¹

First recorded in 1915–20