entrench
Definitions
To establish an attitude, habit, or position so firmly that it is very hard to change.
使（态度、习惯、地位）牢固确立，根深蒂固。
(military) To dig in with trenches for defense.
（军事）挖壕固守，掘壕防御。
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveden- (into) + trench (a dug ditch) = to dig into a trench. A soldier entrenched behind earthworks is almost impossible to dislodge. That military image became a metaphor: to entrench an idea or interest is to plant it so deep that it resists all change.
Root trench still carries 4 more wordsUsage Guide
Often reflexive in the military sense — troops entrench themselves. In the common figurative sense it usually takes an abstract object (entrench power, rights, privilege) and frequently appears in the passive or as the adjective entrenched. Note it can be positive (entrench rights) or negative (entrench corruption).
Example Sentences
- 1.
These rules only entrench the power of the wealthy few.
- 2.
Bad habits become harder to entrench the longer they last.
- 3.
The troops entrenched themselves along the ridge before dawn.
- 4.
The reforms aim to entrench democratic rights in law.