elephant trunk

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The long, flexible nose of an elephant, used for breathing, smelling, picking up objects, and sucking up water.

   Grammar: Countable: an elephant trunk, the elephant's trunk, elephant trunks.

   Patterns

   • an elephant's trunk
   • the elephant trunk
   • elephant trunks

   The elephant used its trunk to pull leaves from a high branch.

   An elephant can drink water by sucking it up through its trunk.

   Baby elephants sometimes trip over their own trunks.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   A short, tube-shaped part on the front of a machine or vehicle, especially on a ship, used for taking in or letting out air or water.

   Grammar: Countable; often used in technical descriptions of ships or ventilation systems.

   Patterns

   • an elephant trunk on a ship
   • the elephant trunk ventilator

   The old ship had a large elephant trunk for ventilation.

   Workers attached an elephant trunk to remove dust from the tank.

Word forms

Common combinations

use its trunk

The elephant used its trunk to spray water over its back.

a long trunk

A long trunk helps the elephant reach food high in the trees.

curl its trunk

The elephant curled its trunk around the branch and pulled.

an elephant's trunk

An elephant's trunk has more than 40,000 muscles.

Synonyms and how they differ

trunk

The shortened form; it is the usual word when the context is already about elephants.

proboscis

A technical or formal word for a long nose, used for elephants and some insects; 'trunk' is the everyday term.

Word family

elephant noun

A very large gray animal with a long trunk and big ears.

elephantine adjective

Very large and heavy, like an elephant; often used humorously.

Commonly confused: elephant trunk or trunk?

Practice

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