trous

Trous is the plural form of the French noun trou, meaning hole or opening. In French, a trou denotes any hollow space created by removing material or by the absence of material in a surface, such as a hole in fabric, a gap in a wall, or an opening in a container. The singular form is trou; the plural form is trous. It is a masculine noun, so phrases use des trous for the plural and un trou for the singular.

Common uses include describing physical holes (des trous dans le sol, un trou dans le mur), gaps in materials (des trous dans les vêtements), and openings in objects or structures. In astronomy, the phrase trous noirs refers to black holes. The expression avoir des trous is also used metaphorically in contexts like schedules or plans to indicate gaps or missing portions.

In everyday French, trous can appear in many compound terms and idioms, such as trou d’eau (water hole) or trouver un trou dans le budget (to find a hole in the budget). The term is widely understood in French-speaking contexts and is a standard lexeme for describing cavities or perforations.

In English, the word trou is occasionally encountered in discussions of French language or in historical or academic quotes, but trou and its plural trous are not commonly used outside such contexts. For English speakers, the direct translations are hole or opening.

See also: trou (singular), trous noirs (black holes), trou d’eau, trous dans le tissu.