ditch

noun

\ ˈdich

Definition of ditch

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a long narrow excavation dug in the earth (as for drainage)

ditch

verb

ditched; ditching; ditches

Definition of ditch (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to surround with a long narrow cavity in the earth : to enclose with a ditch (see ditch entry 1) The pasture was hedged and ditched.

b : to dig a ditch in

2 aviation : to make a forced landing of (an airplane) on water successfully ditched the plane

3a : to get rid of : discard ditch an old car had to ditch their plan

b : to end association with : leave ditched school His girlfriend ditched him.

intransitive verb

1 : to dig a ditch

2 aviation : to crash-land at sea

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about ditch

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Synonyms for ditch

Synonyms: Noun

dike, fosse (or foss), gutter, sheugh [chiefly Scottish], trench, trough

Synonyms: Verb

blow off, break off (with), dump, jilt, kiss off, leave

Examples of ditch in a Sentence

Noun

He drove the car into the ditch. after skidding on the ice, our car went right into the ditch

Verb

The thief ditched the purse in an alley. They ditched the car in a vacant lot. They ditched me at the concert.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

He was recently named Craft Instructor of the Year, no small achievement for a guy who started out at 13 digging ditches with a shovel. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "How to Become a Skilled Tradesperson," 13 Mar. 2019 Equipped with new evidence and a high profile attorney, the Fultons this week will file a last-ditch appeal with the NCAA in an effort to get their son eligible for the 2018 season. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "The Curious Case of Kristian Fulton: A Two-Year Ban, a Last-Ditch Appeal and a Spotlight on the NCAA," 13 June 2018 The president has been the subject of an intense lobbying effort by American allies to maintain the agreement, with British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson making a last-ditch appeal to the administration in a visit to Washington this week. — Fox News, "Trump to announce decision on Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday," 7 May 2018 The president has been the subject of an intense lobbying effort by American allies to maintain the agreement, with British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson making a last-ditch appeal to the administration in a visit to Washington this week. — Time, "Trump Announces When — Not What — He Will Decide on Iran Nuclear Deal," 7 May 2018 Understandably, given the incompatibility of natural deltaic processes with urbanization, New Orleanians began erecting embankments along the river and digging drainage ditches within a year of the city’s foundation. — Richard Campanella, The Atlantic, "How Humans Sank New Orleans," 6 Feb. 2018 Like digging ditches, hanging dry wall, spreading concrete and nailing roofing. — Mark Inabinett, AL.com, "Super Bowl 2018: Trey Flowers learned value of hard work in family's construction business in Huntsville," 4 Feb. 2018 The driver who Manning was pursuing crashed into a nearby ditch, left his vehicle and ran away from the scene, authorities said. — Madeline Farber, Fox News, "Officers killed in the line of duty in 2018," 19 Sep. 2018 The trapper was part of a crew loading the animal onto the back of a pickup truck after capturing it in Ocoee, Florida, when the gator made one last-ditch effort to free itself. — Danielle Garrand, CBS News, "Florida alligator head-butts officer attempting to capture him," 6 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Snip & Sketch adds delay, border functions Because the current Windows 10 Snipping Tool lacked the ability to doodle and add notes, Microsoft felt compelled to ditch it entirely and start over. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Hints of Windows 10's 2019 future show up in early '19H1' builds," 6 Nov. 2018 Aiming to lower launch costs by reusing rockets, SpaceX did not retrieve the booster for another flight and, instead, ditched it in the Atlantic. — Washington Post, "SpaceX launches AI robot, strong coffee for station crew," 29 June 2018 The thought of ditching her 9-to-5 sounded exciting — and terrifying. — Candace Braun Davison, House Beautiful, "How HGTV's Jasmine Roth Turned Her Hobby Into A Full-Blown Empire," 26 June 2018 Fielding's hunch was that the survivors were those whose mothers ditched them near a dogless household of humans who found the pups irresistible. — Karin Brulliard, ajc, "Puppies' cuteness peaks right when they need humans most, study finds," 20 May 2018 Fielding's hunch was that the survivors were those whose mothers ditched them near a dogless household of humans who found the pups irresistible. — The Washington Post, NOLA.com, "Puppies reach peak cuteness right when they need humans most," 19 May 2018 In three seasons with the Pacers (before Donnie Walsh ditched him after Indiana brought back Larry Bird) and two more with the Knicks (before Walsh, again, told him to scram), Thomas has a 187-223 record (.456). — Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons should consider Isiah Thomas, says Charles Barkley," 8 May 2018 Sometimes people hire them just to take it out and ditch it. — Lisa Selin Davis, Curbed, "This doctor makes house calls," 3 May 2018 The witness answered that Jackson had been his best friend, then ditched him, bolstering Mesereau's argument that the witness was motivated by a personal grudge. — Eric Levenson, CNN, "Bill Cosby is on trial again. But a lot has changed since his mistrial last year," 31 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ditch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.