Meaning & use
truss
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Meanings
nouncountable
A rigid frame made of straight pieces arranged in triangles, used to support a roof, bridge, or similar structure.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a truss', 'two trusses'.
Patterns
- a steel truss
- a roof truss
- a truss bridge
The old barn was held up by a network of wooden trusses.
Engineers designed a steel truss to span the wide gap.
The truss bridge was replaced after a hundred years of use.
verbtransitive
To tie the legs and wings of a bird close to its body before cooking.
Grammar: Takes an object: truss the chicken.
Patterns
- truss a bird
- truss something with string
Truss the turkey so it roasts evenly.
She trussed the chicken with kitchen twine before putting it in the oven.
verbtransitive
To tie someone's arms and legs tightly so they cannot move.
Grammar: Often used in the passive: the prisoner was trussed up.
Patterns
- truss someone up
- be trussed up
The robbers trussed up the guard and left him in a closet.
The hostage was found trussed up but unharmed.
Word forms
| plural | trusses |
|---|---|
| third person singular | trusses |
| past tense | trussed |
| past participle | trussed |
| -ing form | trussing |
Common combinations
- steel truss
- The roof is supported by a steel truss.
- truss bridge
- We drove across an old truss bridge.
- truss up
- They trussed up the package with rope.
- roof truss
- The carpenter installed the roof trusses first.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: truss or trust?
truss vs trust
Trust means confidence or a financial arrangement; truss is a structural frame or to tie up.
Practice
The workers used a steel ___ to support the roof of the new stadium.
Choose one answer.
A truss is a framework that supports a roof. 'Trust' means confidence, 'truce' is a stop in fighting, and 'trash' is rubbish; none fit the building context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “truss”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.