Word
ditch
US/ˈdɪtʃ/
UK/dˈɪtʃ/
Definitions
01a trench for water
n. a long, narrow hole dug in the ground, usually to carry water away from a road or field.
n. a narrow excavation dug in the earth, typically for the purpose of drainage, irrigation, or as a boundary marker.
“The car slid off the icy road and ended up in a muddy ditch.”
“Heavy rainfall caused the drainage ditch to overflow, flooding the adjacent fields and damaging the young crops.”
02to get rid of
v. to stop using something or to leave someone behind because you do not want them anymore.
v. to abandon or discard a person, object, or plan, often abruptly or without ceremony.
“He decided to ditch his old sofa and buy a new one for the apartment.”
“The company chose to ditch the original marketing strategy after the initial pilot programme failed to attract the target demographic.”
Informal
03to skip school
v. to stay away from school or a class without permission.
v. to deliberately absent oneself from school or a scheduled obligation without authorisation.
“They decided to ditch their afternoon classes to go to the cinema.”
“Several students were caught trying to ditch the assembly, leading to a strict warning from the headteacher.”
Informal
Synonyms
Antonyms
04to land on water
v. to land an aircraft on water in an emergency.
v. to perform a forced landing of an aircraft on water, typically following engine failure or other critical emergencies.
“The pilot had to ditch the plane in the river after both engines failed.”
“The flight crew was praised for their composure while preparing the passengers to ditch the aircraft in the ocean after a total loss of power.”
Technical
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English dich, from Old English dīċ (“trench, moat”) from Proto-Germanic dīkaz (compare Swedish dike, Icelandic díki, West Frisian dyk (“dam”), Dutch dijk (“dam”), German Teich (“pond”)), from Proto-Indo-European dʰeygʷ- (“to stick, set up”) (compare Latin fīgō (“to affix, fasten”), Lithuanian diegti (“to prick; plant”), dýgsti (“to geminate, grow”)). Doublet of dike.
From earlier deche, from Middle English dechen, from Old English dēcan (“to smear, plaster, daub”). More at deech.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Idioms
hurler on the ditch — A person standing on the side of a hurling field issuing (unsolicited and usually unwanted) instructions to the hurlers.
itch the ditch — To masturbate by stimulating one's vagina.
keep it between the ditches — To stay out of trouble or follow a righteous (God-fearing) path.
ox is in the ditch — This is a big problem; there is unavoidable or demanding work ahead.