# entrench

**Pronunciation:** /ɪnˈtrɛntʃ/ · in-TRENCH

**CEFR level:** C1

**Part of speech:** verb

## Meaning 1: General

Establish an attitude, habit, or belief so firmly that changing it is extremely difficult.

## Examples

- The new regulations have become firmly entrenched in the company's daily operations.
- Old prejudices are often deeply entrenched in society and take generations to overcome.
- Political corruption had become so entrenched that voters felt helpless to demand change.

## Meaning 2: Military

To surround or protect with a trench or defensive fortifications.

## Examples

- The soldiers worked through the night to entrench their positions before the dawn attack.
- The infantry entrenched themselves along the ridge to hold the high ground.
- Commanders ordered the troops to entrench behind a line of barbed wire.

## Synonyms

- fix — A general term for making something stable or permanent.
- ingrain — Specifically used for habits or attitudes that are deeply set.
- embed — Suggests being placed firmly within a surrounding structure.
- root — Implies a deep, organic connection that is hard to pull out.

## Antonyms

- uproot — To remove something that has been firmly established.

## Common patterns

- entrench oneself — To establish oneself firmly in a position or place. — He managed to entrench himself in the department so effectively that he became indispensable.
- be entrenched in — To be firmly fixed within a specific system or location. — The company's outdated policies are still entrenched in the corporate culture.

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