ditch

1 of 2

noun

: a long narrow excavation dug in the earth (as for drainage)

ditch

2 of 2

verb

ditched; ditching; ditches

transitive verb

1
a
: to surround with a long narrow cavity in the earth : to enclose with a ditch (see ditch entry 1)
The pasture was hedged and ditched.
b
: to dig a ditch in
2
aviation : to make a forced landing of (an airplane) on water
successfully ditched the plane
3
a
: to get rid of : discard
ditch an old car
had to ditch their plan
b
: to end association with : leave
ditched school
His girlfriend ditched him.

intransitive verb

1
: to dig a ditch
2
aviation : to crash-land at sea

Examples of ditch in a Sentence

Noun He drove the car into the ditch. after skidding on the ice, our car went right into the ditch Verb The thief ditched the purse in an alley. They ditched the car in a vacant lot. They ditched me at the concert.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Texas police are searching for the person who killed a 17-year-old San Antonio girl who was found dead in a ditch on Tuesday evening, about an hour after she was reported missing, according to her family and local authorities. Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024 En route to their dinner reservation, the couple steer the rental car down a private driveway, getting stuck in a ditch. Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Beaudette's car left the road towards and came to a stop in a ditch, while Murphy's car was left disabled in the northbound lane. Daniel McFadin, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024 The remains were found in a drainage ditch, CBS affiliate WREG reported, citing sources. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 No one wants to slide into a ditch within range of Russian artillery, which sounds constantly along the front. Carlotta Gall, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 During the pursuit, Shoemake reportedly crashed his Harley-Davidson motorcycle into a ditch and wrecked it. Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 13 Feb. 2024 After major flooding during the 1920s, the city turned the waterway into a drainage ditch. Robert Annis, Travel + Leisure, 2 Feb. 2024 Maintain and clean canals and drainage ditches using shovels, hoes, rakes, pitchforks and power tools. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Verb
Apple’s iPhone sales are sliding in the face of strong competition from local champion Huawei, and a drive from Beijing itself to have state employees ditch their iPhones in favor of Chinese devices. David Meyer, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 But other companies want to ditch gaseous refrigerants altogether and replace them with materials that absorb heat just as well without the risk of leakage or fire. Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024 California Shasta County ditched its Dominion voting machines. Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Republicans later ditched the filibuster against Supreme Court nominees in 2017 to place conservative nominees on the court. Carl Hulse, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 And as the leaders of nearby states, including my home state of Washington, hold hearings about whether to ditch the antiquated practice of springing forward and falling back—with fiercely opposing views about which way to lock the clock—Arizona leaders have no need. TIME, 9 Mar. 2024 Instead of making cuts to your already-streamlined toiletry roster, ditch your bulky bag for a sleek, multi-compartment one like the Abuideng Double Layer Toiletry Bag. Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024 But the nominating contest happened with little fanfare this year, after Democrats ditched the usual grandeur of the first-in-the nation contest and opted for a no-frills process instead. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024 Having once endured a similarly frustrating courtship, Branden encouraged Matt to ditch his girlfriend and ask out Shannon. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ditch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English dich, from Old English dīc dike, ditch; akin to Middle High German tīch pond, dike

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ditch was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ditch

Cite this Entry

“Ditch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ditch. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ditch

1 of 2 noun
: a long narrow channel or trench dug in the earth

ditch

2 of 2 verb
1
: to dig a ditch in or around
2
a
: to get rid of : discard
ditch an old car
b
: to end association with : leave
his girlfriend ditched him
3
: to make a forced landing of (an airplane) on water

More from Merriam-Webster on ditch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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