Phrase guide

trench warfare

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches and repeatedly fire at one another; usually involving high casualty rates over a long period of time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: warfare, war, fighting, conflict

2

noun

Meaning 2

Fighting of any sort which offers no hope of ending soon.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, figuratively, often, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: warfare, war, fighting, conflict

3

noun

Meaning 3

a type of armed combat in which the opposing troops fight from trenches that face each other

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • instead of the war ending quickly, it became bogged down in trench warfare

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: combat, armed combat

4

noun

Meaning 4

a struggle (usually prolonged) between competing entities in which neither side is able to win

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the hope that his superior campaigning skills would make a difference evaporated in the realization that electioneering had become a form of trench warfare

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: war, warfare

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Danish: skyttegravskrig — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • Dutch: loopgravenoorlog — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • Finnish: asemasota — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • French: guerre des tranchées — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • German: Grabenkrieg — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • German: Grabenkampf — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • Icelandic: skotgrafahernaður — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • Polish: wojna pozycyjna — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • Scottish Gaelic: cogadh nan trainnsichean — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • Spanish: guerra de trincheras — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • Swedish: skyttegravskrig — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • Ukrainian: позиці́йна війна́ (pozycíjna vijná) — warfare in which opposing sides occupy trenches
  • German: Grabenkampf — fighting of any sort
  • Swedish: skyttegravskrig — fighting of any sort