MEANING
1. To establish an attitude, practice, or position so firmly that change becomes difficult.
2. To place troops or a position behind defensive trenches.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- entrench inequality
- entrenched interests
On the page
The policy entrenched inequalities it was meant to reduce.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- entrench
- Past tense
- entrenched
- Past participle
- entrenched
- Present participle
- entrenching
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- entrench
- Present continuous
- am/is/are entrenching
- Present perfect
- have/has entrenched
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been entrenching
- Past
- entrenched
- Past continuous
- was/were entrenching
- Past perfect
- had entrenched
- Past perfect continuous
- had been entrenching
- Future
- will entrench
- Future continuous
- will be entrenching
- Future perfect
- will have entrenched
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been entrenching
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: entrench; entrenches; entrenched; entrenched; entrenching Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: entrenches.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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