trough

[trawf, trof, trawth, troth]

noun

1. a long, narrow, open receptacle, usually boxlike in shape, used chiefly to hold water or food for animals.

2. any of several similarly shaped receptacles used for various commercial or household purposes.

3. a channel or conduit for conveying water, as a gutter under the eaves of a building for carrying away rainwater.

4. any long depression or hollow, as between two ridges or waves.

5. Oceanography.,  a long, wide, and deep depression in the ocean floor having gently sloping sides, wider and shallower than a trench.

6. Meteorology.,  an elongated area of relatively low pressure.

7. the lowest point, especially in an economic cycle.

trough

/ trɒf /

noun

1. a narrow open container, esp one in which food or water for animals is put

2. a narrow channel, gutter, or gulley

3. a narrow depression either in the land surface, ocean bed, or between two successive waves

4. meteorol an elongated area of low pressure, esp an extension of a depression Compare ridge

5. a single or temporary low point; depression

6. physics the portion of a wave, such as a light wave, in which the amplitude lies below its average value

7. economics the lowest point or most depressed stage of the trade cycle

verb

1. informal,  (intr) to eat, consume, or take greedily

trough

1. The part of a wave with the least magnitude; the lowest part of a wave.

2. Compare crest See more at wave

3. A narrow, elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure occurring at the ground surface or in the upper atmosphere, and often associated with a front.

4. Compare ridge

Other Word Forms

• troughlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trough¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English trōh; cognate with Dutch, German, Old Norse trog

Word History and Origins

Origin of trough¹

Old English trōh ; related to Old Saxon, Old Norse trog trough, Dutch trügge ladle

Example Sentences

"There's big peaks and troughs, and we've got to build resilience into the business," she said.

From BBC

This means that important features like troughs and ridges could be missed, which would make the difference between a dry day, or a day with heavy rain.

From BBC

There’s a faucet on the eastern end of the campground where water from the creek is piped, but upon my arrival, the trough where the water came out was covered in thick green algae.

From Los Angeles Times

An upper-level trough will ensure California sees cooler than normal temperatures until at least the middle of May, according to Scott Handel, a forecaster at the federal Climate Prediction Center.

From Los Angeles Times

“We have bears around the ranch, and they’ll go and swim in the water troughs, and the cattle will just watch,” she said with a laugh.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• trench