# ditching

/ˈdɪtʃɪŋ/ (US) · /dˈɪtʃɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ditching
Updated: 2026-05-09

## Definition

to get rid of something you no longer want or to stop doing something. In aviation, it means landing an aircraft on water in an emergency.

For teachers: to abandon or discard something; in an aviation context, to perform a controlled emergency landing on water. The present participle form of 'ditch', often used to describe the act of disposal or emergency water landing.

## Examples

- The pilot is ditching the plane in the river.
- After the engine failed over the ocean, the crew began the process of ditching the aircraft to save the passengers.
- While the company is ditching its old software in favor of a cloud-based system, the transition period has caused significant delays for the engineering team.

## Usage notes

- The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, such as a plan, an object, or a vehicle.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.