trench
/trentʃ/ (bre, ipa) · /trentʃ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtrench/ (ame, mw)
trench — noun
- trenchsingular
- trenchesplural
1. a deep, narrow ditch made for soldiers to take cover during a battle, giving the
a deep, narrow ditch made for soldiers to take cover during a battle, giving them a protected spot from which to fight
During the long winter, the soldiers lived in muddy trenches and rarely saw the sun.
typical context: trench warfare
Walid's grandfather fought from a trench in northern France during the First World War.
The troops dug a zigzag network of trenches to protect the camp from enemy attacks.
The museum exhibit showed how soldiers ate, slept, and washed in the front-line trenches.
用法筆記
Often used in the plural (trenches) to name a connected system of defensive ditches. Most common in writing about the First and Second World Wars.
常見錯誤
2. a narrow channel cut into the earth that carries water away or marks where one p
a narrow channel cut into the earth that carries water away or marks where one piece of land ends and another begins
Iris dug a shallow trench around the vegetable patch so the rainwater would reach the plants.
adjective collocation: shallow trench
Heavy rain filled the drainage trench behind the school, and a worker had to clear it by hand.
Farmers cut a long trench along the edge of the field to stop the soil from flooding.
A narrow trench between the two properties carried rainwater down to the street drain.
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun/1: this sense names civilian channels for water or boundaries, not military fortifications. Often paired with adjectives like shallow, narrow, or drainage.
常見錯誤
3. a long, very deep valley with steep sides on the floor of an ocean, usually form
a long, very deep valley with steep sides on the floor of an ocean, usually formed where two of the earth's plates meet
The Mariana Trench is the deepest known point in the world's oceans.
proper noun: Mariana Trench
Vikram's team discovered a new species of fish living at the bottom of the ocean trench.
Some trenches on the sea floor are deeper than the tallest mountains rise above the land.
The research ship lowered a camera into the trench to film its dark, freezing seabed.
用法筆記
Nearly always refers to deep-sea geological formations. The most famous example is the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean.
trench — verb
- trenchpresent simple I / you / we / they
- trenches3rd person singular
- trenching-ing form
- trenchedpast simple
1. to dig a long, narrow channel into a piece of ground, usually so that water, pip
to dig a long, narrow channel into a piece of ground, usually so that water, pipes, or cables can pass along it
Workers trenched the site before laying the pipes for the new water system.
passive: trenched before laying pipes
Ramón trenched the hillside so that heavy rain would flow away from the young crops.
Before the concrete was poured, the builders trenched the area to install drainage pipes.
Crews are trenching a path through the garden for the new irrigation system this week.
文法句型
trench + noun phrase (the ground / an area)
用法筆記
Less common in everyday speech than the phrase 'dig a trench'. Often found in writing about construction, farming, or utility work.
常見錯誤
2. to cut a groove, line, or channel into the surface of something solid such as wo
to cut a groove, line, or channel into the surface of something solid such as wood, stone, or metal
Mizuki trenched fine lines into the wet clay to shape the figure's hair.
artistic context: trenching into clay
Years of wind and rain had trenched narrow grooves into the old stone wall.
natural erosion: wind and rain trenched
The carpenter trenched a shallow channel along the wooden plank to fit the glass panel.
Running water had trenched small channels through the soft rock over thousands of years.
文法句型
trench + noun phrase (surface or material)
用法筆記
A formal or literary use. In everyday English, 'cut grooves into' or 'carve channels into' is far more common than this verb.
3. to defend or protect a place by digging trenches around it so that an attacking
to defend or protect a place by digging trenches around it so that an attacking enemy finds it hard to advance
The army trenched the hilltop to make it harder for the enemy to capture the position.
active form: army trenched
Sirin reported that the camp was heavily trenched and protected by sandbags before the attack.
passive: heavily trenched
Engineers trenched the perimeter of the base, forming a long defensive line around it.
The ridge had been trenched so thoroughly that no enemy unit could take it by surprise.
文法句型
trench + noun phrase (position / area)
用法筆記
Frequently found in the passive voice. The related verb 'entrench' (to fix something firmly in place) is far more common in modern English.
常見錯誤
4. to slowly move past an accepted limit and interfere with someone's rights, area
to slowly move past an accepted limit and interfere with someone's rights, area of work, or personal life
Critics said the new surveillance law trenched upon citizens' right to privacy at home.
pattern: trench upon + rights
Tariro warned that the factory's waste was trenching on the protected wetland year by year.
pattern: trench on + area
Noa argued that the proposed policy trenched too far on individual freedoms.
Yael felt that the new manager's decisions were trenching on her own team's responsibilities.
文法句型
trench + on/upon + noun phrase
用法筆記
Nearly always followed by 'on' or 'upon'. This sense is older and formal; 'encroach on/upon' or 'infringe on/upon' are far more common in modern English.