What does trough mean?
A trough is a long, narrow or shallow hollow, especially a container from which animals eat or drink. It may also be a channel or depression formed in the ground or in another surface. The word has an important figurative use for the lowest point in a recurring cycle, such as a slump in economic activity, weak business performance, or the bottom of a market trend. This extended sense is standard in British and American financial and economic writing. The metaphorical use is especially useful because it presents a bad period not as an isolated failure but as the bottom of a larger movement, after which conditions may improve. In physics and related technical contexts, a trough can also designate the low point in a wave or oscillating motion.
nounA trough is a long, narrow or shallow container, especially one used to hold food or water for animals. It also denotes a low point in a process or cycle, particularly an economic or market downturn.
- A long, narrow or shallow container, typically used for feeding animals.
- A channel, groove, or elongated depression, especially one that carries water.
- The lowest point or a period of weakness in a cycle, especially an economic or market cycle.
- The low point in the oscillation of a wave or other periodic motion.
"The cattle crowded around the feeding trough as the farmer scattered grain."
"Farmers filled the feeding trough before the herd came in."
"Manufacturing output reached a trough in the spring before demand recovered."
The regular plural is used for both physical troughs and abstract low points in cycles.
"The valley contains several natural troughs that fill during the rainy season."
A trough is the bottom of a wave—and, by extension, the bottom of a market cycle.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trough come from?
The word comes from Old English trōh, a Germanic term for a hollowed wooden container, and continued in Middle English with the form trough. It is cognate with Dutch trog, German Trog, Danish and Norwegian trug, Swedish tråg, and West Frisian troch. Its concrete container sense underlies the later metaphorical applications to low points in waves, processes, markets, and economies.
Related word forms
How trough is actually used
The literal noun is neutral but most often describes agricultural, architectural, or industrial objects. In figurative use, it often suggests a sustained and often severe low point in performance, trade, or economic activity.
Easily confused with trough
“Through” is a preposition or adverb, whereas a “trough” is a noun naming a container, channel, or low point.