Meaning & use
trestles
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“trestles” is a form of “trestle”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Sturdy frames with legs, used in pairs to hold up a flat board and make a temporary table or work surface.
Grammar: Usually plural because a pair is needed: two trestles and a plank.
Patterns
- a pair of trestles
- a board on trestles
We set up the trestles in the garden and laid a door across them for the party table.
The carpenter rested the beam on two trestles while he cut it.
After the sale, the market stall owners folded their trestles and loaded them into the van.
nounpluralAmerican
Tall frames of timber or steel that hold up a bridge, especially one for a railroad.
Grammar: Often in the pattern railroad trestles; the singular trestle can also mean the whole bridge.
Patterns
- a bridge on trestles
The train crossed the valley on high wooden trestles.
Tourists photographed the old trestles over the river.
The trestles had to be rebuilt after the flood.
Common combinations
- a pair of trestles
- You will need a pair of trestles to hold the plywood.
- trestle table
- The church hall has a long trestle table for the lunch.
- folding trestles
- Folding trestles store flat in the garage.
- wooden trestles
- Wooden trestles carried the narrow rail line over the gorge.
- set up trestles
- We set up trestles at the back of the shop for extra seating.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sawhorses
- Sawhorses are used mainly to hold wood while cutting, while trestles are often used to support a tabletop.
- supports
- Supports is a general word, whereas trestles are a specific kind of frame.
- stands
- Stands could be any structure that holds something up, and are not usually made as a matching pair.
- scaffolding
- Scaffolding is a larger temporary framework for workers on buildings, not simple frames for a table.
Word family
- trestle noun
- one frame, or a bridge frame
- trestle table noun
- a table made from a board on trestles
- trestlework noun
- a structure built of trestles
Commonly confused: trestles or trellis?
trestles vs trellis
A trellis is a lattice frame that climbing plants grow on. Trestles hold up boards or bridges.
Practice
For the village fair, the volunteers put planks across a pair of ____ to make a long serving table.
Choose one answer.
Trestles are frames that support a board. A trellis supports plants, and trusses are structural frames in roofs and bridges, not table supports.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trestles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.