What does entrench mean?
Word: Entrench
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Entrench means to fix something so firmly that it becomes very hard to change.
How do you spell entrench?
Syllables: en - trench
Tricky part: The closing sound tempts pupils to write sh, or to slip a t in before it. Only two letters make that sound here, and they are ch.
Watch out for: entrensh, entrentch
Memory tip: Say the word slowly and bite off the end, as you do with lunch. That firm sound is ch, not sh.
Entrench in a sentence
Example 1: The coach wanted to entrench the routine of stretching before every match.
Example 2: Old ideas about handwriting are deeply entrenched in some schools.
Example 3: The new recycling rule is now entrenched in our block of flats.
Fun Fact
It began as a plain digging word, meaning to put something down inside a long ditch. The sense of being dug in so deep that nothing can shift you grew from that.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Choose the letters that complete the word:
e_tr_nch
a) m, e
b) n, a
c) n, i
d) n, e
Show answer
d) n, e. It starts like end, and the vowel after the r is the one in ten.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word:
Regular rehearsals will ceennrth the new dance steps in the memory of every performer.
a) entrench
b) entice
c) engrave
d) enrich
Show answer
a) entrench. A t, an r and an h must all fit, and no other option holds the three.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word entrench as used in the sentence:
Stories at bedtime helped to entrench the habit of reading in the younger children.
a) uproot
b) anchor
c) cement
d) embed
Show answer
a) uproot. Pulling a habit out is the reverse of what the sentence describes.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the correctly spelt word:
1. embeded 2. perpetuel 3. entrench 4. habitaul
a) to make a belief almost impossible to shift
b) set firmly inside something else
c) lasting with no break or end
d) done regularly as a matter of routine
Show answer
a) to make a belief almost impossible to shift. Embedded doubles the d, and both perpetual and habitual finish in ual.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A rule has become entrenched in a club. What will a new member probably find?
a) the rule applies only to guests
b) nobody remembers the rule at all
c) members resist any change to it
d) the rule changes every month
Show answer
c) members resist any change to it
2. Teachers want to entrench good manners. What is the best method?
a) mention them once in assembly
b) repeat them every day for months
c) hold one short talk on the subject
d) print them in a single newsletter
Show answer
b) repeat them every day for months
