3 VERB If something such as a topic or name is trending , a lot of people are discussing or mentioning it on social media. □ [V ] Minutes after the announcement, Heidi was trending on Twitter. □ [V -ing] The hashtag #RoyalBaby became the world's number 1 trending topic. SYNONYMS trend NOUN 1
inclination: He set out to follow his artistic inclinations.
tendency: …the government's tendency towards secrecy in recent years.
fashion: He stayed at the top through all changes and fashions in pop music.
craze: …the craze for Mutant Ninja Turtles.
fad: Hamnett does not believe environmental concern is a passing fad.
tre nd-setter (trend-setters ) also trendsetter N‑COUNT A trend-setter is a person or institution that starts a new fashion or trend.
trendy /tre ndi/ (trendier , trendiest )
1 ADJ If you say that something or someone is trendy , you mean that they are very fashionable and modern. [INFORMAL ] □ …a trendy London night club.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone who follows new ideas as trendy , you disapprove of them because they are more interested in being fashionable than in thinking seriously about these ideas. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ Trendy teachers are denying children the opportunity to study classic texts.
trepi|da|tion /tre p I de I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft with N ] Trepidation is fear or anxiety about something that you are going to do or experience. [FORMAL ] □ It was with some trepidation that I viewed the prospect of cycling across Uganda.
tres|pass /tre spəs/ (trespasses , trespassing , trespassed )
1 VERB If someone trespasses , they go onto someone else's land without their permission. □ [V prep] They were trespassing on private property. □ [V ] You're trespassing! ● N‑VAR Trespass is the act of trespassing. □ You could be prosecuted for trespass. ● tres|pass|er (trespassers ) N‑COUNT □ Trespassers will be prosecuted.
2 VERB If you say that someone is trespassing on something, you mean that they are involving themselves in something that is not their concern. □ [V prep] They were acting to prevent the state from trespassing on family matters such as sex education. [Also V ]
tress /tre s/ (tresses ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] A woman's tresses are her long flowing hair. [LITERARY ]
tres|tle /tre s ə l/ (trestles ) N‑COUNT A trestle is a wooden or metal structure that is used, for example, as one of the supports for a table. It has two pairs of sloping legs which are joined by a flat piece across the top.
tre s|tle ta|ble (trestle tables ) N‑COUNT A trestle table is a table made of a long board that is supported on trestles.
PREFIX tri-
is used at the beginning of nouns and adjectives that have 'three' as part of their meaning. For example, a tri-partite meeting takes place between representatives from three organizations.
tri|ad /tra I æd/ (triads ) The spelling Triad is also used for meaning 1 . 1 N‑COUNT [usu pl, oft N n] The Triads were Chinese secret societies in old China.
2 N‑COUNT A triad is a group of three similar things. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] For the faculty, there exists the triad of responsibilities: teaching, research, and service.
tri|age /triː ɑːʒ/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Triage is the process of quickly examining sick or injured people, for example after an accident or a battle, so that those who are in the most serious condition can be treated first. [MEDICAL ] □ …the triage process.
tri|al ◆◆◇ /tra I əl/ (trials )
1 N‑VAR A trial is a formal meeting in a law court, at which a judge and jury listen to evidence and decide whether a person is guilty of a crime. □ New evidence showed the police lied at the trial. □ He's awaiting trial in a military court on charges of plotting against the state. □ They believed that his case would never come to trial.
2 N‑VAR A trial is an experiment in which you test something by using it or doing it for a period of time to see how well it works. If something is on trial , it is being tested in this way. □ They have been treated with this drug in clinical trials. □ The robots have been on trial for the past year.
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft on N ] If someone gives you a trial for a job, or if you are on trial , you do the job for a short period of time to see if you are suitable for it. □ He had just given a trial to a young woman who said she had previous experience.
4 N‑COUNT [usu pl] If you refer to the trials of a situation, you mean the unpleasant things that you experience in it. □ [+ of ] …the trials of adolescence.
5 N‑COUNT [usu pl] In some sports or outdoor activities, trials are a series of contests that test a competitor's skill and ability. □ He has been riding in horse trials for less than a year. □ …Dovedale Sheepdog Trials.
6 PHRASE If you do something by trial and error , you try several different methods of doing it until you find the method that works properly. □ Many medical discoveries were made by trial and error.
7 PHRASE If someone is on trial , they are being tried in a court of law. □ He is currently on trial accused of serious assault.
8 PHRASE If you say that someone or something is on trial , you mean that they are in a situation where people are observing them to see whether they succeed or fail. □ The President will be drawn into a damaging battle in which his credentials will be on trial.