ditch

[ dich ]

/ dɪtʃ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ditch ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a long, narrow excavation made in the ground by digging, as for draining or irrigating land; trench.

any open passage or trench, as a natural channel or waterway.

verb (used with object)

to dig a ditch or ditches in or around.

to derail (a train) or drive or force (an automobile, bus, etc.) into a ditch.

to crash-land on water and abandon (an airplane).

Slang.

to get rid of: I ditched that old hat of yours.
to escape from: He ditched the cops by driving down an alley.
to absent oneself from (school or a class) without permission or an acceptable reason.

verb (used without object)

to dig a ditch.

(of an aircraft or its crew) to crash-land in water and abandon the sinking aircraft.

Slang. to be truant; play hooky.

Origin of ditch

before 900; 1940–45 for def 5, 1885–90 for def 6, 1955–60 for def 9; Middle English dich, Old English dīc; cognate with German Teich. See dike¹

OTHER WORDS FROM ditch

ditch·less, adjective

Words nearby ditch

disyllable, disyoke, dit, dita, ditat deus, ditch, ditch-moss, ditchdigger, ditcher, ditchwater, dite

Example sentences from the Web for ditch

Who knew explaining how to change a tire and back out of a ditch could be so seductive?

The Golden West Up for Grabs: ‘Painted Horses’ Is the Next Great Western Novel |Wendy Smith |November 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It also made sense for Sorenson to ditch Bachmann for entirely political reasons.

The Time Michele Bachmann Was Right |Ben Jacobs |August 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Fonda tried in vain to convince Jarrow and Archer to ditch the project.

Anne Archer: Women in Hollywood Are Doomed Forever |Nico Hines |August 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
If America really wants to help Africa grow with trade and investment, it needs to ditch a number of stereotypes it still holds.

Why the US-Africa Summit Was Important and Why It Wasn't Enough |John Prendergast |August 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The car finally came to rest just past the trees, back in the ditch.

The Cops Who Found Out the Truth About GM's Deadly Cars—in 2006 |Michael Daly |July 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Unconsciously squaring his shoulders as he went, Conniston strode away toward the ditch.

Under Handicap |Jackson Gregory
This was occasioned by the muzzles being pointed downwards into the ditch, which gave the report an unusual and appalling effect.

Twenty-Five Years in the Rifle Brigade |William Surtees
Ditch, or Be Ditched: to get into trouble, or to fail at what one has undertaken.

Tramping with Tramps |Josiah Flynt
It was the culvert, of course; it had broken down, and lucky I was that the ditch underneath was shallow.

Over Prairie Trails |Frederick Philip Grove
The Ass gave credence to his words, and, falling into a ditch, was very much bruised.

Aesop's Fables |Aesop

British Dictionary definitions for ditch (1 of 2)

ditch

/ (dɪtʃ) /

noun

a narrow channel dug in the earth, usually used for drainage, irrigation, or as a boundary marker

any small, natural waterway

Irish a bank made of earth excavated from and placed alongside a drain or stream

informal either of the gutters at the side of a tenpin bowling lane

last ditch a last resort or place of last defence

verb

to make a ditch or ditches in (a piece of ground)

(intr) to edge with a ditch

informal to crash or be crashed, esp deliberately, as to avoid more unpleasant circumstances he had to ditch the car

(tr) slang to abandon or discard to ditch a girlfriend

informal to land (an aircraft) on water in an emergency

(tr) US slang to evade to ditch the police

Derived forms of ditch

ditcher, noun ditchless, adjective

Word Origin for ditch

Old English dīc; related to Old Saxon dīk, Old Norse dīki, Middle High German tīch dyke, pond, Latin fīgere to stick, see dyke 1

British Dictionary definitions for ditch (2 of 2)

Ditch

/ (dɪtʃ) /

noun NZ

the Ditch an informal name for the Tasman Sea

Idioms and Phrases with ditch

ditch

see last-ditch effort.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

ditch

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of ditch

OTHER WORDS FROM ditch

Words nearby ditch

Example sentences from the Web for ditch

British Dictionary definitions for ditch (1 of 2)

noun

verb

Derived forms of ditch

Word Origin for ditch

British Dictionary definitions for ditch (2 of 2)

noun NZ

Idioms and Phrases with ditch

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

ditch

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of ditch

OTHER WORDS FROM ditch

Words nearby ditch

Words related to ditch

Example sentences from the Web for ditch

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for ditch (1 of 2)

noun

verb

Derived forms of ditch

Word Origin for ditch

British Dictionary definitions for ditch (2 of 2)

noun NZ

Idioms and Phrases with ditch

British Dictionary definitions for ditch (1 of 2)