1. An extension of low atmospheric pressure from the central regions of a low-pressure system into a zone where generally higher pressure prevails. The term ‘trough’ is also, and in accordance with this definition, applied to equatorward meanders of the flow of the upper westerly winds over middle latitudes. (The ‘equatorial trough’, where trade winds meet, is synonymous with the ‘intertropical convergence zone’.) See also long wave.
2. The lowest point of a fold surface.