trough: Meaning and Definition of

trough

Pronunciation: (trôf, trof or, sometimes, trôth, troth), [key]
— n.
  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 rain water.
  4. any long depression or hollow, as between two ridges or waves.
  5. a long, wide, and deep depression in the ocean floor having gently sloping sides, wider and shallower than a trench. Cf.(def. 4).
  6. an elongated area of relatively low pressure.
  7. the lowest point, esp. in an economic cycle.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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