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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
But there was also a three-hour standstill in traffic caused by a tractor trailer that had driven into a ditch on a road that usually does not permit vehicles so big, but made an exception because that was the only way into or out of the area in the wake of the storm. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024 Bucks use water as a barrier, think deep drainage ditches, creeks, streams, and rivers. Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2024
Verb
Netflix ditched its $9.99 Basic ad-free tier this year, forcing people to choose between the $6.99 or $15.49 tier. Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024 The impasse left thousands of former public employees scrambling to determine whether to ditch the health insurer or risk not being allowed back to visit doctors, specialists and medical teams that some seniors have been seeing for years, if not decades. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ditch 

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 26 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!