Word.ws English Dictionary

trenches

Syllables: trench·es/ˈtɹɛnt͡ʃɪz/

trenches is the plural of trench.

trenches is the third-person singular simple present indicative of trench.

Noun

trenches pl (plural only)

  1. (plural, plural-only) The front line of any field of endeavor, as the line of scrimmage in American football, patrol duty for a policeman.
    • Anderson: We've all reviewed your reports, seen the data you collected, but it's all just theory to us.
      Anderson: You've been there. In the trenches. Fighting them. You know what they're capable of.2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Prologue
  2. (figuratively, plural, plural-only) A difficult or disadvantageous situation; a low point.

Meaning of trench

Noun

trench (plural 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.1999, April 24, Xiphias Gladius, "Re: trenchcoat mafia", ne.general.selected, Usenet

See all 13 meanings of trench

Proper noun capitalized: Trenches

Trenches

  1. (plural) plural of Trench

Words formed from trenches

Phrases with trenches

Words that rhyme with trenches

Questions about trenches

What does trenches mean?
Trenches means the front line of any field of endeavor, as the line of scrimmage in American football, patrol duty for a policeman.
What is trenches the plural of?
Trenches is the plural of trench.
What part of speech is trenches?
Trenches can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce trenches?
Trenches is pronounced /ˈtɹɛnt͡ʃɪz/.

Words near trenches in the dictionary

  1. trenchermen
  2. trenchers
  3. trenchersful
  4. trencherwoman
  5. trencherwomen
  6. trenches
  7. trenchesful
  8. trenchful
  9. trenchfuls
  10. trenching
  11. trenchings

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: trenches (page history and authors); Trenches (page history and authors); trench (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-trenches.ogg.

Cite this entry: “trenches.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/trenches. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.