Chest vs. Trunk — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 13, 2024
A chest is a storage box with a hinged lid, often used for personal items, while a trunk is a larger, more durable storage container, historically used for travel.
Difference Between Chest and Trunk
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A chest is typically a piece of furniture or a storage box, usually made of wood, with a hinged lid used to store clothes, valuables, or personal items. It is often placed in bedrooms or living areas and can vary in size and design, catering to domestic storage needs. On the other hand, a trunk is a larger, more robust container designed for transporting belongings, especially during travel. Traditionally made of wood, metal, and sometimes leather, trunks are built to withstand rough handling and long journeys.
While chests are primarily used for storage within the home, offering an element of decor and functionality, trunks are designed for both storage and transportation. Trunks have a sturdy construction and often feature reinforced corners, locks, and sometimes wheels for easier movement. In contrast, chests may have a more decorative design, with carvings, inlays, and a finish that complements home interiors.
Chests serve a dual purpose of storage and furniture, often becoming heirlooms or decorative pieces in homes. They can be used to store a wide range of items, including blankets, books, and seasonal clothing. Trunks, however, have historically been used for travel, acting as a portable closet for clothes, books, and personal items, especially during long voyages or when moving residences.
In modern times, the use of trunks for travel has diminished due to advancements in luggage design, but they remain popular as decorative items, coffee tables, or storage solutions in homes. Meanwhile, chests continue to be a common storage solution, prized for their aesthetic appeal and practicality.
Despite their differences, both chests and trunks share a common purpose of storing belongings. The choice between a chest and a trunk often depends on the specific storage needs, space, and personal preference regarding style and material.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Use
Storage within the home
Storage and transportation
Construction
Often wood, with a hinged lid
Sturdier, with reinforced edges and locks
Design
Decorative, complements home decor
Robust, designed for durability
Historical Use
Domestic storage, sometimes heirlooms
Used for travel, carrying personal belongings
Modern Use
Continues as a storage solution in homes
Less for travel, more for decorative storage
Compare with Definitions
Chest
Often made of wood, designed for domestic use.
The ornate chest in the living room doubled as a coffee table.
Trunk
Historically used for travel.
The old trunk had stickers from every country they had visited.
Chest
May become a family heirloom.
The cedar chest had been passed down for generations.
Trunk
Made of durable materials like wood and metal.
The metal-bound trunk looked like it could survive any voyage.
Chest
Can be decorative, with various designs.
The hand-carved chest added a rustic charm to their bedroom.
Trunk
Now often used for decorative storage.
The vintage trunk served as an interesting coffee table in their living room.
Chest
Serves as furniture and storage.
They used a painted chest at the foot of the bed for extra linens.
Trunk
A large, sturdy container for transporting belongings.
They packed their clothes and books in a trunk for the overseas journey.
Chest
A storage box with a lid, used for personal items.
She kept her grandmother's quilts in an old wooden chest.
Trunk
Features like locks and wheels for security and mobility.
The trunk was equipped with a heavy lock to protect its contents.
Chest
The front or ventral portion of this part
Has a tattoo on his chest.
Trunk
The main woody stem of a tree as distinct from its branches and roots.
Chest
A sturdy box with a lid and often a lock, used especially for storage.
Trunk
A person's or animal's body apart from the limbs and head.
Chest
A small closet or cabinet with shelves for storing supplies
A medicine chest above the bathroom sink.
Trunk
The elongated, prehensile nose of an elephant.
Chest
The treasury of a public institution.
Trunk
A large box with a hinged lid for storing or transporting clothes and other articles.
Chest
The funds kept there.
Trunk
The main woody axis of a tree.
Chest
A box for the shipping of certain goods, such as tea.
Trunk
(Architecture) The shaft of a column.
Chest
The quantity packed in such a box.
Trunk
The body of a human or other vertebrate, excluding the head and limbs.
Chest
A sealed receptacle for liquid, gas, or steam.
Trunk
The thorax of an insect.
Chest
A bureau; a dresser.
Trunk
A proboscis, especially the long prehensile proboscis of an elephant.
Chest
A box, now usually a large strong box with a secure convex lid.
The clothes are kept in a chest.
Trunk
A main body, apart from tributaries or appendages.
Chest
(obsolete) A coffin.
Trunk
A trunk line.
Chest
The place in which public money is kept; a treasury.
You can take the money from the chest.
Trunk
A chute or conduit.
Chest
A chest of drawers.
Trunk
A watertight shaft connecting two or more decks.
Chest
(anatomy) The portion of the front of the human body from the base of the neck to the top of the abdomen; the thorax. Also the analogous area in other animals.
She had a sudden pain in her chest.
Trunk
The housing for the centerboard of a vessel.
Chest
A hit or blow made with one's chest.
He scored with a chest into the goal.
Trunk
A covering over the hatches of a ship.
Chest
Debate; quarrel; strife; enmity.
Trunk
An expansion chamber on a tanker.
Chest
To hit with one's chest (front of one's body)
Trunk
A cabin on a small boat.
Chest
(transitive) To deposit in a chest.
Trunk
A covered compartment for luggage and storage, generally at the rear of an automobile.
Chest
To place in a coffin.
Trunk
A large packing case or box that clasps shut, used as luggage or for storage.
Chest
A large box of wood, or other material, having, like a trunk, a lid, but no covering of skin, leather, or cloth.
Heaps of money crowded in the chest.
Trunk
Trunks Shorts worn for swimming or other athletics.
Chest
A coffin.
He is now dead and mailed in his cheste.
Trunk
Part of a body.
Chest
A case in which certain goods, as tea, opium, etc., are transported; hence, the quantity which such a case contains.
Trunk
The usually single, more or less upright part of a tree, between the roots and the branches.
Chest
A tight receptacle or box, usually for holding gas, steam, liquids, etc.; as, the steam chest of an engine; the wind chest of an organ.
Trunk
The torso.
Chest
Strife; contention; controversy.
Trunk
The conspicuously extended, mobile, nose-like organ of an animal such as a sengi, a tapir or especially an elephant. The trunks of various kinds of animals might be adapted to probing and sniffing, as in the sengis, or be partly prehensile, as in the tapir, or be a versatile prehensile organ for manipulation, feeding, drinking and fighting as in the elephant.
Chest
To deposit in a chest; to hoard.
Trunk
(heading) A container.
Chest
To place in a coffin.
He dieth and is chested.
Trunk
A large suitcase, chest, or similar receptacle for carrying or storing personal possessions, usually with a hinged, often domed lid, and handles at each end, so that generally it takes two persons to carry a full trunk.
Chest
The part of the human body between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
Trunk
A box or chest usually covered with leather, metal, or cloth, or sometimes made of leather, hide, or metal, for holding or transporting clothes or other goods.
Chest
Box with a lid; used for storage; usually large and sturdy
Trunk
The luggage storage compartment of a sedan/saloon-style car.
Chest
Furniture with drawers for keeping clothes
Trunk
(automotive) A storage compartment fitted behind the seat of a motorcycle.
Trunk
(heading) A channel for flow of some kind.
Trunk
A circuit between telephone switchboards or other switching equipment.
Trunk
A chute or conduit, or a watertight shaft connecting two or more decks.
Trunk
A long, large box, pipe, or conductor, made of plank or metal plates, for various uses, as for conveying air to a mine or to a furnace, water to a mill, grain to an elevator, etc.
Trunk
(archaic) A long tube through which pellets of clay, peas, etc., are driven by the force of the breath. A peashooter
Trunk
(mining) A flume or sluice in which ores are separated from the slimes in which they are contained.
Trunk
(software engineering) In software projects under source control: the most current source tree, from which the latest unstable builds (so-called "trunk builds") are compiled.
Trunk
The main line or body of anything.
The trunk of a vein or of an artery, as distinct from the branches
Trunk
(transport) A main line in a river, canal, railroad, or highway system.
Trunk
(architecture) The part of a pilaster between the base and capital, corresponding to the shaft of a column.
Trunk
A large pipe forming the piston rod of a steam engine, of sufficient diameter to allow one end of the connecting rod to be attached to the crank, and the other end to pass within the pipe directly to the piston, thus making the engine more compact.
Trunk
(in the plural) swimming trunks
Trunk
To lop off; to curtail; to truncate.
Trunk
To extract (ores) from the slimes in which they are contained, by means of a trunk.
Trunk
(telecommunication) To provide simultaneous network access to multiple clients by sharing a set of circuits, carriers, channels, or frequencies.
Trunk
The stem, or body, of a tree, apart from its limbs and roots; the main stem, without the branches; stock; stalk.
About the mossy trunk I wound me soon,For, high from ground, the branches would requireThy utmost reach.
Trunk
The body of an animal, apart from the head and limbs.
Trunk
The main body of anything; as, the trunk of a vein or of an artery, as distinct from the branches.
Trunk
That part of a pilaster which is between the base and the capital, corresponding to the shaft of a column.
Trunk
That segment of the body of an insect which is between the head and abdomen, and bears the wings and legs; the thorax; the truncus.
Trunk
The proboscis of an elephant.
Trunk
A long tube through which pellets of clay, p as, etc., are driven by the force of the breath.
He shot sugarplums them out of a trunk.
Trunk
A box or chest usually covered with leather, metal, or cloth, or sometimes made of leather, hide, or metal, for containing clothes or other goods; especially, one used to convey the effects of a traveler.
Locked up in chests and trunks.
Trunk
A flume or sluice in which ores are separated from the slimes in which they are contained.
Trunk
A large pipe forming the piston rod of a steam engine, of sufficient diameter to allow one end of the connecting rod to be attached to the crank, and the other end to pass within the pipe directly to the piston, thus making the engine more compact.
Trunk
A long, large box, pipe, or conductor, made of plank or metal plates, for various uses, as for conveying air to a mine or to a furnace, water to a mill, grain to an elevator, etc.
Trunk
To lop off; to curtail; to truncate; to maim.
Trunk
The main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
Trunk
Luggage consisting of a large strong case used when traveling or for storage
Trunk
The body excluding the head and neck and limbs;
They moved their arms and legs and bodies
Trunk
Compartment in an automobile that carries luggage or shopping or tools;
He put his golf bag in the trunk
Trunk
A long flexible snout as of an elephant
Common Curiosities
Can a chest have locks like a trunk?
Yes, some chests have locks for securing valuable items, though this feature is more common in trunks designed for travel.
Do people still use trunks for travel?
While not as common due to modern luggage options, trunks are still used for long-term storage or as decorative items.
Can a trunk be used as furniture?
Yes, trunks are often repurposed as coffee tables, decorative storage, or accent pieces in homes.
Are chests always made of wood?
While wood is traditional, modern chests can also be made of metal, plastic, or other materials, depending on their intended use and style.
Is it common to find antique trunks and chests?
Yes, both antique trunks and chests are sought after for their historical value and aesthetic appeal.
Can chests and trunks be customized?
Yes, both can be painted, refinished, or modified to match personal decor styles or to add functionality.
What's the main difference between a chest and a trunk?
The main difference lies in their use; chests are for domestic storage, while trunks are for storage and transportation.
Are there different types of chests and trunks?
Yes, there are various styles and types, including cedar chests, hope chests, steamer trunks, and travel trunks, each with unique features and uses.
How do you choose between a chest and a trunk?
The choice depends on the intended use, space, and personal style preference. Consider the item's durability, design, and storage needs.
How should you care for wooden chests and trunks?
Regular dusting, avoiding excessive moisture, and using appropriate wood cleaners can help maintain their condition and appearance.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
