Join free

trench

English · Français · Italiano · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

trench¹

  • /ˈtɹɛnt͡ʃ/
  • [ˈtɹ̝̊ʷɛnt͡ʃ]
  • [ˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷɛnt͡ʃ]
  • /ˈtɹɪnt͡ʃ/
  • [ˈtɹ̝̊ʷɪ̟nt͡ʃ]
  • [ˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷɪ̟nt͡ʃ]

Rhymes with -ɛntʃ

Where it comes from

Borrowed into Middle English from Old French trenche. Doublet of tranche and traunch. Possible doublet of English: truncate

noun trenches

  1. A long, narrow ditch or hole in the ground; either manmade, or formed naturally through erosion or tectonic plate movement. The trenches for installing the underground cables were dug with a trencher.
  2. A narrow excavation as used in warfare, as a cover for besieging or emplaced forces. The soldiers in the trenches rely on logistical support.
  3. A pit, usually rectangular with smooth walls and floor, excavated during an archaeological investigation.
  4. informal A trench coat. I was the first person in my high school to wear a trench and fedora constantly, and Ben was one of the first to wear a black trench.

verb trenches · trenching · trenched

  1. usually, followed by upon To invade, especially with regard to the rights or the exclusive authority of another; to encroach. Shee is the Judge, Thou Executioner, Or if thou needs would'st trench upon her power, Thou mightst have yet enjoy'd thy crueltie, With some more thrift, and more varietie.
  2. To excavate an elongated pit for protection of soldiers and or equipment, usually perpendicular to the line of sight toward the enemy. No more shall trenching war channel her fields.
  3. To excavate an elongated and often narrow pit.
  4. To have direction; to aim or tend. the reason and consequence thereof may trench to point of estate
  5. To cut; to form or shape by cutting; to make by incision, hewing, etc. The wide wound that the boar had trenched / In his soft flank.
  6. To cut furrows or ditches in. to trench land for the purpose of draining it
  7. To dig or cultivate very deeply, usually by digging parallel contiguous trenches in succession, filling each from the next. to trench a garden for certain crops

Trench²

Where it comes from

From trench.

proper noun Trenches

  1. countable, uncountable A suburb of Telford, Telford and Wrekin borough, Shropshire, England (OS grid ref SJ6912).
  2. countable, uncountable A habitational surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: ditch, entrench, impinge, encroach, fosse, hole, pit, excavation, foxhole, cavity, trough, moat, groove, entrenchment, chute, slot

Translations

Every language

noun long, narrow ditch or hole

Españoltrinchera
한국어참호 chamho, 트렌치 teurenchi
日本語塹壕 zangō, トレンチ torenchi, 溝 mizo
中文壕溝 /壕沟 háogōu, 戰壕 /战壕 zhànháo
हिन्दीखाई khāī
Kiswahilimtaro, handaki
Portuguêsfosso
Françaistranchée, fossé
DeutschGraben
Italianofosso, trincea, fossato
Ελληνικάχαράκωμα charákoma
Românătranșee, fosă
Русскийтранше́я tranšéja, око́п okóp, ров rov, кана́ва kanáva
Tiếng Việthào
العربيةخَنْدَق ḵandaq, أُخْدُود ʔuḵdūd
עבריתתְּעָלָה te'ala

noun military excavation

Españoltrinchera
中文壕溝 /壕沟 háogōu
हिन्दीखाई khāī
Portuguêstrincheira
Françaistranchée
DeutschSchützengraben, Graben
Italianotrincea, fossato, buca
Ελληνικάόρυγμα órygma
Românătranșee
Русскийоко́п okóp, транше́я tranšéja, ров rov
Tiếng Việtchiến hào
العربيةخَنْدَق ḵandaq

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"trench." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/trench. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

trench. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/trench

Chicago

"trench." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/trench.

BibTeX
@misc{trench_2026,
  title = {trench},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/trench},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}