Meaning & use
trident
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Meanings
nouncountable
A long spear with three points, carried in myth by Poseidon or Neptune.
Grammar: Takes an or the: the sea god's trident.
Patterns
- wield a trident
The statue of Neptune held a golden trident.
In the story, Poseidon struck the rocks with his trident.
The cartoon devil carried a red trident.
nouncountable
A three-pronged spear used for fishing or, in ancient arenas, for fighting.
Grammar: Historical or craft use: the fisherman's trident.
The fisherman speared the fish with a trident.
A gladiator with a trident and a net fought in the arena.
Museums show the bronze trident used by sailors.
nouncountable
A three-pronged emblem on flags or coats of arms, or the name of a nuclear missile system.
Grammar: As a missile, often capitalized: the Trident program.
The national flag shows a golden trident.
The government debated renewing its Trident submarines.
A trident appears on the city's coat of arms.
Word forms
| plural | tridents |
|---|
Common combinations
- wield a trident
- The sea god wields a trident.
- golden trident
- The golden trident gleamed in the statue's hand.
- three-pronged trident
- A three-pronged trident hung on the wall.
- trident missile
- The submarine carries a trident missile.
- trident emblem
- The trident emblem was painted on the ship.
- Neptune's trident
- Neptune's trident calmed the waves.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fork
- Fork is the general tool with prongs, and trident is a larger, weapon-like spear with exactly three points.
- spear
- Spear can have any head, while trident always has three points.
- harpoon
- Harpoon is thrown to catch large sea animals and has barbs, whereas trident is held and has three prongs.
- pitchfork
- Pitchfork is a farm tool with two or more prongs for lifting hay, while a trident is a weapon or a symbol.
Word family
Practice
The statue of the sea god held a three-pronged ___ in his right hand.
Choose one answer.
A trident is a spear with three points and is the traditional symbol of sea gods. A scepter is a royal rod with no prongs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trident”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.