the trenches

plural noun

: a place or situation in which people do very difficult work

These people are working every day down in the trenches to improve the lives of refugees.

Examples of the trenches in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For hundreds of years, merchants have been making tough canvas, twill, and denim trousers for sailors, farmers, and other laborers—and making those pants to endure the tough conditions of the trenches: Jeans. —Simon Mainwaring, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

The composer additionally asked Hans Johannsson, Hansson’s father, who made her normal cello, to build what’s called a trench cello, which the soldiers used to play in the trenches of the First World War. —Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2024

Consider the legions of volunteers and contract soldiers who now go to the trenches for money or out of a false sense of duty to their homeland. —Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2024

Tustin is really good in the trenches and can grind you down with long scoring drives. —Michael Huntley, Orange County Register, 14 Oct. 2024