What does "hutch" mean?
A box, chest, crate, case or cabinet.
Hutch
/hʌt͡ʃ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A box, chest, crate, case or cabinet.
- Grammar: hutch is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: archives, ark, armory, arsenal.
- Useful contrasts: open cabinet, open shelf, open space.
- Usage evidence: But my place is like a rabbit hutch.
How to use "hutch"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hutch" 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 "hutch" 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 "hutch" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hutch" 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 "hutch" 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 "archives" 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 "hutch", 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 box, chest, crate, case or cabinet.
- 2 small crude shelter used as a dwelling wordnet
- 3 A coop or cage for keeping small animals (rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs, etc).
"“No place for rabbits now, but I could easy build a few hutches and you could feed alfalfa to the rabbits.”"
- 4 a cage (usually made of wood and wire mesh) for small animals wordnet
- 5 A piece of furniture in which items may be displayed.
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 A cabinet for storing dishes.
- 7 A piece of furniture (cabinet) to be placed on top of a desk.
- 8 A measure of two Winchester bushels.
- 9 The case of a flour bolt.
- 10 A car on low wheels, in which coal is drawn in the mine and hoisted out of the pit.
- 11 A jig or trough for ore dressing or washing ore.
- 12 A baker's kneading-trough.
- 13 The pavilion or dressing room. slang
- 14 An embankment built in a river to check erosion caused by running water.
"There were deep pools in the river, known as hutch pools because they are formed by hutches - breakwaters - built out from the bank."
Verb
- 1 To hoard or lay up, in a chest. transitive
"She hutched the all-worshipt ore."
- 2 To wash (ore) in a box or jig. transitive
- 3 To move with a jerk; to hitch. ambitransitive
"And the mind was very disinclined to hutch out of the crevice and face what must be done. […] He hauled himself out of the crevice and the air was warm so that he undressed to trousers and sweater. […] He hutched himself back against a rock with his legs sprawled apart."
Proper Noun
- 1 A male given name.
- 2 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"But my place is like a rabbit hutch."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hutch"?
Common synonyms include: archives, ark, armory, arsenal, attic, bank.
How do you use "hutch" in a sentence?
But my place is like a rabbit hutch.
How do you pronounce "hutch"?
Pronounced /hʌt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
From Middle English hucche (“storage chest”), variation of whucce, from Old English hwiċe, hwiċċe (“box, chest”). Spelling influenced by Old French huche (“chest”), from Medieval Latin hūtica, from a different Germanic root, from Frankish *hutta, from Proto-Germanic *hudjō, *hudjǭ (“box, hut, hutch”). Akin to Old English hȳdan (“to conceal; hide”). More at hide, hut. (cricket pavilion or dressing room): An extension of the rabbit metaphor.