the main stem of a tree, usually thick and upright, covered with bark and having branches at some distance from the ground a large strong case or box used to contain clothes and other personal effects when travelling and for storage the body excluding the head, neck, and limbs; torso the elongated prehensile nasal part of an elephant; proboscis - Also called (Brit, Austral, NZ and South African): boot
an enclosed compartment of a car for holding luggage, etc, usually at the rear the main stem of a nerve, blood vessel, etc a watertight boxlike cover within a vessel with its top above the waterline, such as one used to enclose a centreboard an enclosed duct or passageway for ventilation, etc - (modifier)
of or relating to a main road, railway, etc, in a network: a trunk line
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
trunk /trʌŋk/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Botanythe main stem of a tree.
- a large sturdy box for clothes, personal effects, etc.
- Automotivea large boxed area, usually in the rear of an automobile, for holding luggage, etc.
- Anatomy, Zoologythe body of a person or an animal not including the head and limbs;
torso. - Zoologythe long, flexible nose of the elephant.
- Rail Transport, Transportthe main channel or line in a river, railroad, or other system.
- Clothing trunks, [plural] shorts worn by men chiefly for boxing, swimming, and track.
trunk
(trungk),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
trunk′less, adj.
- Botanythe main stem of a tree, as distinct from the branches and roots.
- a large, sturdy box or chest for holding or transporting clothes, personal effects, or other articles.
- Automotivea large compartment, usually in the rear of an automobile, in which luggage, a spare tire, and other articles may be kept.
- Anatomy, Zoologythe body of a person or an animal excluding the head and limbs;
torso. - Fish[Ichthyol.]the part of a fish between the head and the anus.
- Architecture
- Architecturethe shaft of a column.
- Architecturethe dado or die of a pedestal.
- Rail Transport, Transportthe main channel, artery, or line in a river, railroad, highway, canal, or other tributary system.
- Telecommunications
- a telephone line or channel between two central offices or switching devices that is used in providing telephone connections between subscribers generally.
- a telegraph line or channel between two main or central offices.
- Anatomythe main body of an artery, nerve, or the like, as distinct from its branches.
- trunks:
- Clothingbrief shorts, loose-fitting or tight, worn by men chiefly for boxing, swimming, and track.
- Clothing[Obs.]See trunk hose.
- Zoologythe long, flexible, cylindrical nasal appendage of the elephant.
- [Naut.]
- Naval Termsa large enclosed passage through the decks or bulkheads of a vessel, for cooling, ventilation, or the like.
- Naval Termsany of various watertight casings in a vessel, as the vertical one above the slot for a centerboard in the bottom of a boat.
- Buildinga conduit;
shaft;
chute.
adj.
- Rail Transport, Transportof, pertaining to, or noting a main channel or line, as of a railroad or river.
- Latin truncus stem, trunk, stump, noun, nominal use of truncus lopped
- late Middle English trunke 1400–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'tree trunk' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):