trunk

[ truhngk ]

/ trʌŋk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: trunk / trunks on Thesaurus.com

noun

the main stem of a tree, as distinct from the branches and roots.

a large, sturdy box or chest for holding or transporting clothes, personal effects, or other articles.

a large compartment, usually in the rear of an automobile, in which luggage, a spare tire, and other articles may be kept.

the body of a person or an animal excluding the head and limbs; torso.

Ichthyology. the part of a fish between the head and the anus.

Architecture.

the shaft of a column.
the dado or die of a pedestal.

the main channel, artery, or line in a river, railroad, highway, canal, or other tributary system.

Telephony, Telegraphy.

a telephone line or channel between two central offices or switching devices that is used in providing telephone connections between subscribers generally.
a telegraph line or channel between two main or central offices.

Anatomy. the main body of an artery, nerve, or the like, as distinct from its branches.

trunks,

brief shorts, loose-fitting or tight, worn by men chiefly for boxing, swimming, and track.
Obsolete. trunk hose.

the long, flexible, cylindrical nasal appendage of the elephant.

Nautical.

a large enclosed passage through the decks or bulkheads of a vessel, for cooling, ventilation, or the like.
any of various watertight casings in a vessel, as the vertical one above the slot for a centerboard in the bottom of a boat.

a conduit; shaft; chute.

adjective

of, relating to, or noting a main channel or line, as of a railroad or river.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON OPPOSITES OF RED BEFORE YOU TURN SCARLET

We have a challenge that will make you blush: do you know the many words and ways to describe the opposite of red?

Question 1 of 7

Which of the following colors is used to symbolize AIR?

white

green

red

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of trunk

1400–50; late Middle English trunke<Latin truncus stem, trunk, stump, noun use of truncus lopped

OTHER WORDS FROM trunk

trunkless, adjectivesubtrunk, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use trunk in a sentence

When Batwoman reached her fifth tree of the night, another colugo swooped in from the dark and hopped up the trunk toward her.
On a cool night in Malaysia, scientists track mysterious colugos across the treetops|Yao-Hua Law|November 20, 2020|Science News
George Washington used one that folded out of a trunk when he traveled during the Revolutionary War.
A Camp Cot Is the Key to Sleeping Well in the Woods|Graham Averill|November 9, 2020|Outside Online
Dry thoroughly before storing in a cool, dry place, not in your car’s trunk, where it’s dark and warm.
Hints From Heloise: Keeping reusable grocery bags free of germs|Heloise Heloise|November 6, 2020|Washington Post
I kept the Pro 65 in my trunk on sunny weekends at the crag, and after long days in the heat, the contents emerged cold.
The Gear Our Editors Loved in October|The Editors|November 5, 2020|Outside Online

Trees suck carbon out of the air through photosynthesis and store it in their trunks, leaves, roots, and branches.
How Amazon’s offsets could exaggerate its progress toward “net zero” emissions|James Temple|November 2, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Five and thirty livres for every head that falls trunkless into the basket at the foot of the guillotine!
El Dorado|Baroness Orczy
We now know the complete series of steps connecting elephants with ordinary trunkless, tuskless mammals.
More Science From an Easy Chair|Sir E. Ray (Edwin Ray) Lankester
Dr. Johnson relates the impression which the sight of these trunkless heads made upon him.
Historic Sites of Lancashire and Cheshire|James Croston
The trunkless hands then placed the dishes on the table, and the Prince and White Cat seated themselves at it.
The Fairy Ring|Various
The trunkless hands then placed the dishes on the table, and the prince and white cat seated themselves at it.
The Fairy Book|Dinah Maria Mulock (AKA Miss Mulock)

British Dictionary definitions for trunk

trunk

/ (trʌŋk) /

noun

the main stem of a tree, usually thick and upright, covered with bark and having branches at some distance from the ground

a large strong case or box used to contain clothes and other personal effects when travelling and for storage

anatomy the body excluding the head, neck, and limbs; torso

the elongated prehensile nasal part of an elephant; proboscis

Also called: (Brit, Austral., NZ, and South African) boot US and Canadian an enclosed compartment of a car for holding luggage, etc, usually at the rear

anatomy the main stem of a nerve, blood vessel, etc

nautical a watertight boxlike cover within a vessel with its top above the waterline, such as one used to enclose a centreboard

an enclosed duct or passageway for ventilation, etc

(modifier) of or relating to a main road, railway, etc, in a networka trunk line

Derived forms of trunk

trunkful, nountrunkless, adjective

Word Origin for trunk

C15: from Old French tronc, from Latin truncus, from truncus (adj) lopped

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for trunk

trunk

[ trŭngk ]

The body excluding the head and limbs.

The main stem of a blood vessel or nerve apart from the branches.

A large collecting lymphatic vessel.

trunk

Origin of trunk

OTHER WORDS FROM trunk

Words related to trunk

How to use trunk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for trunk

Derived forms of trunk

Word Origin for trunk

Medical definitions for trunk