10 true colours → see colour
11 true to form → see form
12 to ring true → see ring ➊
13 tried and true → see tried
true -blue also true blue
1 ADJ If you describe someone as true-blue , you mean that they are right-wing in their ideas and opinions. [BRIT ] □ Her mother is a true blue Tory.
2 ADJ A true-blue supporter of something is someone who is very loyal and reliable. [AM ]
truf|fle /trʌ f ə l/ (truffles )
1 N‑COUNT A truffle is a soft round sweet made with chocolate and usually flavoured with rum.
2 N‑COUNT A truffle is a round type of fungus which is expensive and considered very good to eat.
trug /trʌ g/ (trugs ) N‑COUNT A trug is a wide, shallow, oval basket used for carrying garden tools, flowers, or plants. [BRIT ]
tru|ism /truː I zəm/ (truisms ) N‑COUNT A truism is a statement that is generally accepted as obviously true and is repeated so often that it has become boring. □ Orpington seems an example of the truism that nothing succeeds like success.
tru|ly ◆◇◇ /truː li/
1 ADV [ADV before v] You use truly to emphasize that something has all the features or qualities of a particular thing, or is the case to the fullest possible extent. [EMPHASIS ] □ …a truly democratic system. □ Not all doctors truly understand the reproductive cycle.
2 ADV [ADV adj] You can use truly in order to emphasize your description of something. [EMPHASIS ] □ …a truly splendid man. □ They were truly appalling.
3 ADV [ADV adj, ADV before v] You use truly to emphasize that feelings are genuine and sincere. [EMPHASIS ] □ Believe me, Susan, I am truly sorry.
4 well and truly → see well ➌
5 CONVENTION You write Yours truly at the end of a formal letter to someone you do not know very well. You write your signature after the words 'Yours truly'. □ Yours truly, Phil Turner.
6 PHRASE You can say yours truly as a way of referring to yourself. [HUMOROUS , INFORMAL ] □ Yours truly was awoken by a shout: 'Ahoy there!'
trump /trʌ mp/ (trumps , trumping , trumped )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [with sing or pl verb] In a game of cards, trumps is the suit which is chosen to have the highest value in one particular game. □ Hearts are trumps.
2 N‑COUNT In a game of cards, a trump is a playing card which belongs to the suit which has been chosen as trumps. □ He played a trump.
3 VERB If you trump what someone has said or done, you beat it by saying or doing something else that seems better. □ [V n] The Socialists tried to trump this with their slogan.
4 PHRASE Your trump card is something powerful that you can use or do, which gives you an advantage over someone. □ In the end, the Ten took their appeal to the Supreme Court; this, they had believed from the outset, would be their trump card.
5 PHRASE If you say that someone came up trumps , you mean that they did something successfully, often when they were not expected to. [BRIT ] □ Dwayne has come up trumps with a goal worthy of winning any match.
tru mped-u p ADJ [usu ADJ n] Trumped-up charges are untrue, and made up in order to punish someone unfairly.
trum|pet /trʌ mp I t/ (trumpets , trumpeting , trumpeted )
1 N‑VAR A trumpet is a musical instrument of the brass family which plays quite high notes. You play the trumpet by blowing into it.
2 VERB If someone trumpets something that they are proud of or that they think is important, they speak about it publicly in a very forceful way. □ [V n + as ] The government has been trumpeting tourism as a growth industry. □ [V + about ] Nobody should be trumpeting about chemical weapons. □ [be V -ed that] It was trumpeted that the nation's health was improving. [Also V n]
trum|pet|er /trʌ mp I tə r / (trumpeters ) N‑COUNT A trumpeter is someone who plays a trumpet.
trun|cat|ed /trʌŋke I t I d, [AM ] trʌ ŋke I t I d/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A truncated version of something is one that has been shortened. □ The review body has produced a truncated version of its annual report.
trun|cheon /trʌ ntʃən/ (truncheons ) N‑COUNT A truncheon is a short, thick stick that is carried as a weapon by a police officer. [BRIT ] in AM, use billy
trun|dle /trʌ nd ə l/ (trundles , trundling , trundled )
1 VERB If a vehicle trundles somewhere, it moves there slowly, often with difficulty or an irregular movement. □ [V prep/adv] The train eventually trundled in at 7.54.
2 VERB If you trundle something somewhere, especially a small, heavy object with wheels, you move or roll it along slowly. □ [V n adv/prep] The old man lifted the barrow and trundled it away.
3 VERB If you say that someone is trundling somewhere, you mean that they are walking slowly, often in a tired way or with heavy steps. □ [V adv/prep] Girls trundle in carrying heavy book bags.
trunk /trʌ ŋk/ (trunks )
1 N‑COUNT [n N ] The trunk of a tree is the large main stem from which the branches grow. □ [+ of ] …the gnarled trunk of a birch tree.
2 N‑COUNT A trunk is a large, strong case or box used for storing things or for taking on a journey.