trench knife

noun

A knife designed for use in hand-to-hand fighting in trenches, typically having a double-edged blade and a knuckleduster on the handle.

First used 19th c.
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Meanings

nountrench knife (plural trench knives)

plural trench knives

  1. A knife designed for use in hand-to-hand fighting in trenches, typically having a double-edged blade and a knuckleduster on the handle.First known use 19th c.

    He desired to cut certain throats with a sharp trench-knife that he had.

    1925, Ford Madox Ford, No More Parades (Parade's End), Penguin, published 2012, page 294
Cite this entry
APA

trench knife. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trench%20knife

MLA

“trench knife.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trench%20knife. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trench knife,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trench%20knife.

Source: trench knife on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.