Meaning & use
trough weather
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnical
Unsettled, often wet and windy conditions caused by a long area of low pressure in the atmosphere.
Grammar: Uncountable, so it takes a singular verb and no article: trough weather was expected.
Patterns
- trough weather moves in
- expect trough weather
- a spell of trough weather
Forecasters warned that trough weather would bring heavy showers overnight.
Trough weather kept the fishing boats in harbor for three days.
The garden suffered during that long stretch of trough weather.
noununcountabletechnical
A period of unsettled weather linked to a trough, seen as a break between longer spells of fine conditions.
Grammar: Also uncountable; often used after words like spell, bout, or period.
Patterns
- a spell of trough weather
- a bout of trough weather
After a week of sunshine, a spell of trough weather arrived from the west.
The vineyard lost part of its crop to a sudden bout of trough weather.
Common combinations
- a spell of trough weather
- A spell of trough weather ruined the outdoor wedding.
- trough weather moves in
- Trough weather moves in from the Atlantic every few days in winter.
- expect trough weather
- Sailors along the coast should expect trough weather by Friday.
- trough weather clears
- Once the trough weather clears, temperatures will rise again.
- associated with trough weather
- The gusty winds are associated with trough weather passing over the region.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unsettled weather
- A general everyday phrase for changeable conditions; it does not say what weather system is responsible.
- stormy weather
- Suggests stronger winds and heavier rain than trough weather usually brings.
- showery weather
- Focuses on brief bursts of rain rather than the low-pressure trough behind them.
Opposites
Word family
- trough noun
- A long narrow region of low air pressure in the atmosphere.
Commonly confused: trough weather or trough?
trough weather vs trough
A trough is the low-pressure band itself; trough weather is the wet, windy conditions it produces.
Practice
Which sentence uses "trough weather" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Trough weather" is an uncountable noun for unsettled conditions, so it fits the forecast sentence. Option 2 treats it as a physical object, option 3 uses a plural verb with an uncountable noun, and option 4 invents a verb use that does not exist.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trough weather”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.