1. A long narrow shallow receptacle
   "The farmer filled the trough with water for the livestock"
    
2. A container (usually in a barn or stable) from which cattle or horses feed
   "The horses gathered around the trough for their evening meal";
   - manger
    
3. A narrow depression (as in the earth or between ocean waves or in the ocean bed)
   "The ship rode the troughs between massive waves"
    
4. A concave shape with an open top
   "The horses drank from the water trough";
   - bowl
    
5. A channel along the eaves or on the roof; collects and carries away rainwater
   "The autumn leaves clogged the trough";
   - gutter, eavestrough [Cdn]
    
6. [informal] A treasury for government funds
   "The state's trough was depleted after the emergency";
   - public treasury, till
    
7. The lowest point in a cycle or periodic variation
   "The economy reached its trough in the third quarter"

Derived forms: troughs

Type of: channel, concave shape, concavity, container, depression, exchequer [Brit], incurvation, incurvature, natural depression, receptacle, treasury

Part of: gable roof, saddle roof, saddleback, saddleback roof

Encyclopedia: Trough