trench warfare

• Type de guerre terrestre utilisant des lignes de front occupées, principalement constituées de tranchées militaires, où les troupes sont protégées du feu ennemi et s'engagent souvent dans des batailles prolongées et statiques.

A type of land warfare using occupied fighting lines largely comprising military trenches, where troops are protected from enemy fire and are often engaged in prolonged, static battles.

1. Military strategyB2formal

   A type of land warfare using occupied fighting lines largely comprising military trenches, where troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery.

   guerre de tranchées

   • Trench warfare became a defining feature of World War I.
   • Soldiers endured terrible conditions in trench warfare.
   • The stalemate on the Western Front was a result of trench warfare.

2. Metaphorical useC1informal

   A prolonged, bitter, and often unproductive conflict or debate, resembling the static and attritional nature of military trench warfare.

   guerre de tranchées (sens figuré)

   • The political debate turned into trench warfare, with neither side willing to compromise.
   • The legal battle between the two companies has become trench warfare.
   • Office politics can sometimes feel like trench warfare.