trunks

UK: /ˈtrʌŋks/

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

trunks / trʌŋks/ noun:plural

1. Also called: swimming trunks a man's garment worn for swimming, either fairly loose and extending from the waist to the thigh or briefer and close-fitting
2. shorts worn for some sports
3. men's underpants with legs that reach midthigh

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

trunk /trʌŋk/   n. [countable]

1. Botany the main stem of a tree.
2. a large sturdy box for clothes, personal effects, etc.
3. Automotive a large boxed area, usually in the rear of an automobile, for holding luggage, etc.
4. Anatomy, Zoology the body of a person or an animal not including the head and limbs;
   torso.
5. Zoology the long, flexible nose of the elephant.
6. Rail Transport, Transport the main channel or line in a river, railroad, or other system.
7. Clothing trunks, [plural] shorts worn by men chiefly for boxing, swimming, and track.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

trunk  (trungk), n. 

1. Botany the main stem of a tree, as distinct from the branches and roots.
2. a large, sturdy box or chest for holding or transporting clothes, personal effects, or other articles.
3. Automotive a large compartment, usually in the rear of an automobile, in which luggage, a spare tire, and other articles may be kept.
4. Anatomy, Zoology the body of a person or an animal excluding the head and limbs;
   torso.
5. Fish [Ichthyol.] the part of a fish between the head and the anus.
6. Architecture
   • Architecture the shaft of a column.
   • Architecture the dado or die of a pedestal.
7. Rail Transport, Transport the main channel, artery, or line in a river, railroad, highway, canal, or other tributary system.
8. 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.
9. Anatomy the main body of an artery, nerve, or the like, as distinct from its branches.
10. trunks:
    • Clothing brief shorts, loose-fitting or tight, worn by men chiefly for boxing, swimming, and track.
    • Clothing [Obs.] See trunk hose. 
11. Zoology the long, flexible, cylindrical nasal appendage of the elephant.
12. [Naut.]
    • Naval Terms a large enclosed passage through the decks or bulkheads of a vessel, for cooling, ventilation, or the like.
    • Naval Terms any of various watertight casings in a vessel, as the vertical one above the slot for a centerboard in the bottom of a boat.
13. Building a conduit;
    shaft;
    chute.

adj. 

14. Rail Transport, Transport of, 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

trunk′less, adj.