ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hatched

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈhætʃt// UK //hˈætʃt// hatched Informal

adj. describing a plan or idea that someone has created in secret. It often implies that the plan is clever or perhaps a bit dishonest.

adj. describing a scheme, plot, or idea that has been formulated or devised, typically in secrecy. Often used as a participial adjective following a linking verb or as part of a passive construction.


SIMPLE

The secret plan was hatched in a dark room.

CONTEXTUAL

The detectives discovered that the bank robbery had been hatched months ago by a group of former employees.

COMPLEX

While the public believed the merger was a sudden development, the details had actually been hatched during a series of clandestine meetings held throughout the previous winter.

Synonyms
Usage

Often appears in the passive voice or as a past participle modifying a noun like 'plan', 'plot', or 'scheme'.

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