What does "truss" mean?
A bandage and belt used to hold a hernia in place.
Truss
name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·1 syllable ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bandage and belt used to hold a hernia in place.
- Grammar: truss is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abdominal supporter, aeroplane, airplane, assist.
- Useful contrasts: definitive treatment, detach, loose mass.
- Usage evidence: The bridge is supported by a truss made up of steel beams, making it both strong and lightweight.
How to use "truss"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "truss" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "truss" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "truss" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "truss" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "truss" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abdominal supporter" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "truss", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A bandage and belt used to hold a hernia in place.
"A truss may keep the abdominal contents from protruding into the hernial sac; however, this won't cure the hernia."
- 2 (architecture) a triangular bracket of brick or stone (usually of slight extent) wordnet
- 3 A structure made up of one or more triangular units made from straight beams of wood or metal, which is used to support a structure as in a roof or bridge.
"The weight of the wrought-ironwork in each of the trusses is 460 tons, inclusive of the longitudinal and cross girders weighing 130 tons."
- 4 a framework of beams (rafters, posts, struts) forming a rigid structure that supports a roof or bridge or other structure wordnet
- 5 A triangular bracket.
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 (medicine) a bandage consisting of a pad and belt; worn to hold a hernia in place by pressure wordnet
- 7 An old English farming measurement. One truss of straw equalled 36 pounds, a truss of old hay equalled 56 pounds, a truss of new hay equalled 60 pounds, and 36 trusses equalled one load.
- 8 A bundle; a package. obsolete
"bearing a truss of trifles at his back"
- 9 A padded jacket or dress worn under armour, to protect the body from the effects of friction. historical
"Puts off his palmer's weed unto his truss, which bore / The stains of ancient arms."
- 10 Part of a woman's dress; a stomacher. historical
- 11 A tuft of flowers or cluster of fruits formed at the top of the main stem of certain plants.
- 12 The rope or iron used to keep the centre of a yard to the mast.
Verb
- 1 To tie up a bird before cooking it. transitive
- 2 support structurally wordnet
- 3 To secure or bind with ropes. transitive
- 4 secure with or as if with ropes wordnet
- 5 To support. transitive
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 tie the wings and legs of a bird before cooking it wordnet
- 7 To take fast hold of; to seize and hold firmly; to pounce upon.
"who trussing me as eagle doth his prey"
- 8 To strengthen or stiffen, as a beam or girder, by means of a brace or braces.
- 9 To execute by hanging; to hang; usually with up. archaic, slang
"If they must truss me, I will repent of nothing"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Old French.
"In her speech to the Atlantic Council, Truss will say: “Putin has launched a full-frontal assault not just on the Ukrainian people, but also on the very foundation of our societies and the rules by which we coexist – sovereignty, democracy, the UN charter."
Example
"The bridge is supported by a truss made up of steel beams, making it both strong and lightweight."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "truss"?
Common synonyms include: abdominal supporter, aeroplane, airplane, assist, bale, band.
How do you use "truss" in a sentence?
The bridge is supported by a truss made up of steel beams, making it both strong and lightweight.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English trusse, from Old French trousse, torse, from Vulgar Latin *torsus, variant of Classical Latin tortus, past participle of torqueō. Doublet of torse and trousse.
Etymology 2
From Middle English trussen, from Old French trousser.
Etymology 3
From Old French trousse (“bundle, pack”), a metonymic occupational surname for a peddler.