trunk
truhngk
Trunk (noun) means the main woody stem of a tree, between the roots and the branches. Example: “The children carved their initials into the smooth trunk of the beech tree.”
noun
1
The main woody stem of a tree, between the roots and the branches.
"The children carved their initials into the smooth trunk of the beech tree."
"A squirrel ran up the trunk and disappeared among the leaves."
"The old oak had a trunk too wide to put your arms around."
2
The long, flexible nose of an elephant.
"The baby elephant held its mother's tail with its trunk as they walked."
"At the zoo, an elephant sprayed water from its trunk over its back."
"The elephant lifted the log with its trunk."
3
A large, strong box with a hinged lid, used for storing or carrying clothes and belongings.
"The sailor packed his clothes into a wooden trunk before the long voyage."
"We found an old trunk full of toys under the stairs."
"Her grandmother kept the letters in a trunk in the attic."
4
In American English, the enclosed storage space at the back of a car; the boot.
"Can you pop the trunk open so I can load the shopping?"
"The spare tyre is kept in the trunk beneath the carpet."
"He put the suitcases in the trunk and drove off."
verb
1
To cut something short or reduce it drastically.
"The editor trunked the long article down to a couple of short paragraphs."
"Budget cuts trunked the school's music programme to almost nothing."
"The gardener trunked the hedge back to a bare stump."
2
In telecoms, to carry many signals together over a shared set of lines.
"The network engineers trunk several phone lines together to save on cabling."
"Our office system trunks all outgoing calls through one shared connection."
"The phone company trunks hundreds of calls over a single fibre line."
How to use trunk
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAs a verb, trunk usually means to cut down or to bundle multiple communication lines together; as a noun it more commonly refers to a tree trunk, a large storage case, or (US English) a car boot.
UK vs US
The noun sense "car trunk" is American English; British English calls this the "boot."
Easily confused with
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like trunk.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Third person singular
- trunks
- Past tense
- trunked
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The children carved their initials into the smooth _____ of the beech tree.
Etymology
From Old French tronc, meaning a tree trunk, alms box, or headless body, going back to Latin truncus, "cut off, maimed."
Related words
Rhymes for trunk
See all rhymes for trunk →Frequently asked questions
What does “trunk” mean?
The word “trunk” means to cut something short or reduce it drastically. In plain terms, as a verb, trunk usually means to cut down or to bundle multiple communication lines together; as a noun it more commonly refers to a tree trunk, a large storage case, or (US English) a car boot.
How do you pronounce “trunk”?
“Trunk” is pronounced truhngk (/tɹʌŋk/ in IPA).
How do you use “trunk” in a sentence?
Here is “trunk” used in a sentence: “The gardener trunked the hedge back to a bare stump.”
What part of speech is “trunk”?
“Trunk” is a verb.
Where does the word “trunk” come from?
The word “trunk” comes from Latin. From Old French tronc, meaning a tree trunk, alms box, or headless body, going back to Latin truncus, "cut off, maimed.".
Is “trunk” a common word?
“Trunk” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
How many meanings does “trunk” have?
“Trunk” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to cut something short or reduce it drastically.
What is the difference between trunk and truncate?
Both verbs mean to cut something short, but truncate is by far the more common choice in everyday and technical writing. Trunk as a verb, meaning to cut short or reduce drastically, is rare and appears mainly in specialist contexts, so truncate is usually the safer word.
What is a trunk line?
A trunk line is a shared connection that carries many signals at once between telephone exchanges or network hubs. It reflects the telecoms sense of the verb trunk: to carry many signals together over one shared set of lines rather than routing each separately.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include trunk:
