trestle
Americannoun
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a frame typically composed of a horizontal bar or beam rigidly joined or fitted at each end to the top of a transverse A-frame, used as a barrier, a transverse support for planking, etc.; horse.
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Civil Engineering.
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one of a number of bents, having sloping sides of framework or piling, for supporting the deck or stringers of a bridge.
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a bridge made of these.
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noun
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a framework in the form of a horizontal member supported at each end by a pair of splayed legs, used to carry scaffold boards, a table top, etc
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a braced structural tower-like framework of timber, metal, or reinforced concrete that is used to support a bridge or ropeway
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a bridge constructed of such frameworks
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Etymology
Origin of trestle
1300–50; Middle English trestel < Middle French, by dissimilation from Old French trestre ≪ Latin trānstrum crossbeam
Explanation
A trestle is a special kind of tower built to support a bridge. A "trestle bridge" will usually have a trestle on each side, and there might be more trestles if the bridge is particularly heavy or long. Engineers need to carefully design the trestles so they will hold up the bridge when it's full of traffic. Modern trestles are usually built of concrete or steel, while older ones are often wooden.
Vocabulary lists containing trestle
Tolkien Reading Day, List 7
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My Brother Sam is Dead
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Dark Water Rising
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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.
Winding through the Black Hills is the George S. Mickelson Trail, a 109-mile converted railroad bed with rock tunnels and more than 100 trestle bridges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
"It was waiter service when it first started and everyone came and sat at long trestle tables and they were served their pie and It took time when it was busy," Linda says.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2024
The agency is finalizing a contract this week with WATCO, a railroad company that operates the portion of the line, to build the trestle.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
The transportation department declared an emergency to replace the trestle and has been granted permits needed for the work, Matkin said.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
Behind the railroad trestle, the water spread even more, the rushing flood “snapping off trees like they were matchsticks … The earth shook, the snapping grew loud, and the air stank of trees.”
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
