to trench
- verb
- /trɛnʧ/
- Before the battle commenced, the commanding officer instructed his men to trench around their position for better security.
Examples
-
So, for example, when the IRA trenched all but one of the roads from Macroom to Killarney, they were intentionally creating a bottleneck that the British convoy drove straight into.
Blog text (5) -
Sean O'Hegarty, Commandant of the local IRA 1st Cork Brigade, ordered his men to trench the secondary road that could possibly have been used to bypass the ambush site.
Blog text (5) -
One must admit that they built their trenches very well.
-
Did aircraft attack the trenches with bombs or guns?
-
The Romans used this time to dig a long trench back from their line in order to prevent a Belgay attack on the flanks.
-
The first two acted as a screen whilst the back line dug trenches as the start of a fortified camp.
-
The first two acted as a screen whilst the back line dug trenches as the start of a fortified camp.
-
During the siege, the soldiers were ordered to trench the perimeter of the camp to improve their defenses against enemy attacks.
-
To protect the army from enemy fire, engineers were sent to trench the battlefield, creating a fortified zone.
Synonyms
To surround an area with a wall to protect it
To make a long narrow hole in the ground for pipes or to carry water away
To dig a deep, wide ditch around a building and fill it with water to protect it
To dig a trench to make a position stronger to defend it
To hide in a strong place to stay safe
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
A long waterproof coat with a belt and deep pockets, often worn in a military style
- Specialized
A way of fighting where soldiers attack, defend, and live in long trenches facing each other
- Specialized
A foot problem from long cold, wet exposure that causes pain, swelling, and numbness
- Specialized
A very painful gum infection that causes mouth sores, bleeding and bad breath
A deep part of the Pacific Ocean floor between New Guinea and the Solomon Islands
- Archaic
A narrow trench that lets soldiers move safely from the back to the front lines
- Specialized
A long narrow trench that soldiers use to shelter while shooting at the enemy
- Archaic
A short gun that fires shells high into the air over short distances in trench fighting
How Fortified
Surface Forms
Etymology
Trench comes from the old French trancher meaning 'to cut', and soldiers long ago 'cut' into the earth to make a protective ditch around their camp. That's why trench can mean digging a defensive line to protect a place.