1
a
: a long cut in the ground : ditch
especially
: one used for military defense often with the excavated dirt thrown up in front
b
trenches plural
: a place, position, or level at which an activity is carried on in a manner likened to trench warfare
—often used in the phrase in the trenches
activists working in the trenches
2
: a long, narrow, and usually steep-sided depression in the ocean floor compare trough
3
trenched; trenching; trenches
1
: to make a cut in : carve
2
a
: to protect with or as if with a trench
b
: to cut a trench in : ditch
1
2
: to dig a trench
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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