Lodash _.trim() Method

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll use Lodash’s _.trim() confidently in real string workflows.

What Is _.trim()?

_.trim() removes characters from the start and end of a string. By default it trims whitespace (spaces, tabs, newlines). For one-sided cleanup use _.trimStart() or _.trimEnd().

📝 Syntax

_.trim(string, [chars])

Syntax Rules

• string — The input string to trim.
• chars — Optional. Characters to strip instead of default whitespace.
• Return value — New string without leading/trailing matched characters.
• Inner whitespace — Preserved—only edge characters are removed.

import trim from "lodash/trim";

const raw = "   Hello, world!   ";
const clean = trim(raw);
// -> "Hello, world!"

Examples Gallery

Practical _.trim() patterns with copy-ready code and interactive Try It Yourself labs.

const raw = "   Hello, world!   ";
const trimmed = _.trim(raw);

console.log(trimmed);
// -> "Hello, world!"

console.log(raw.length);
// still 19 (original unchanged)

trimmed: Hello, world!
raw.length: 19

const username = "  john_doe  ";
const safe = _.trim(username);

console.log(safe);
// -> "john_doe"

safe: john_doe

const a = "   Hello   ";
const b = "Hello";

console.log(_.isEqual(_.trim(a), b));
// -> true

true

const path = "///api/users///";
const clean = _.trim(path, "/");
// -> "api/users"

clean: api/users

const messy = "   active   ";
const banner = _.toUpper(_.trim(messy));
// -> "ACTIVE"

banner: ACTIVE

const raw = "  hello  ";
const native = raw.trim();
const lodash = _.trim(raw);
// both -> "hello"

Both approaches yield: hello

📝 Notes

• _.trim() removes from both ends only.
• Inner whitespace is never removed.
• Pass chars to trim specific characters instead of whitespace.
• Use _.trimStart() or _.trimEnd() for one-sided trimming.
• Strings are immutable—assign the return value.
• Native String.trim() covers default whitespace in modern engines.

💡 Best Practices