What does "ditch" mean?
A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for irrigation or drainage.
Ditch
/dɪt͡ʃ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for irrigation or drainage.
- Grammar: ditch is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: dump, abandon, abandon, abandon.
- Useful contrasts: causeways, hill, keep.
- Usage evidence: I am afraid to jump over the ditch.
How to use "ditch"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ditch" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ditch" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ditch" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ditch" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ditch" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dump" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ditch", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for irrigation or drainage.
"Digging ditches has long been considered one of the most demanding forms of manual labor."
- 2 Alternative form of deech. alt-of, alternative, uncountable, usually
- 3 a long narrow excavation in the earth wordnet
- 4 A raised bank of earth and the hedgerow on top. Ireland
"You flung a ditch on my vision Of beauty, love and truth. O stony grey soil of Monaghan You burgled my bank of youth!"
- 5 any small natural waterway wordnet
Verb
- 1 To discard or abandon. transitive
"Once the sun came out we ditched our rain-gear and started a campfire."
- 2 Alternative form of deech. alt-of, alternative
- 3 cut a trench in, as for drainage wordnet
- 4 To deliberately crash-land an airplane on water. ambitransitive
"When the second engine failed, the pilot was forced to ditch; their last location was just south of the Azores."
- 5 crash or crash-land wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 To deliberately not attend classes; to play hookey. ambitransitive
"The truant officer caught Louise ditching with her friends, and her parents were forced to pay a fine."
- 7 make an emergency landing on water wordnet
- 8 To dig ditches. intransitive
"Enclosure led to fuller winter employment in hedging and ditching."
- 9 sever all ties with, usually unceremoniously or irresponsibly wordnet
- 10 To dig ditches around. transitive
"The soldiers ditched the tent to prevent flooding."
- 11 throw away wordnet
- 12 To throw into a ditch. transitive
"The engine was ditched and turned on its side."
- 13 forsake wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The city of Calcutta. derogatory, obsolete, slang
Example
"I am afraid to jump over the ditch."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ditch"?
Common synonyms include: dump, abandon, abandon, abandon, abri, abysm.
How do you use "ditch" in a sentence?
I am afraid to jump over the ditch.
How do you pronounce "ditch"?
Pronounced /dɪt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
From earlier deche, from Middle English dechen, from Old English dēcan (“to smear, plaster, daub”). More at deech.
Etymology 3
In reference to the Maratha Ditch.