ditch

1 of 2

noun

ˈdich

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

ditch

2 of 2

verb

ditched; ditching; ditches

transitive verb

: 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.

: to dig a ditch in

aviation : to make a forced landing of (an airplane) on water

successfully ditched the plane

: to get rid of : discard

ditch an old car

had to ditch their plan

: to end association with : leave

ditched school

His girlfriend ditched him.

intransitive verb

: to dig a ditch

aviation : to crash-land at sea

Example Sentences

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

But alongside the smugness there will be darker repercussions, and those for whom psychedelics represent a last-ditch effort to treat severe mental illness will be some of those who stand to suffer the most.

WIRED, 2 Sep. 2022 The demonstration was part of a last-ditch effort to halt construction of a controversial development at 4600 N. Marine Drive, a former parking lot for Weiss Memorial Hospital, located just north.

Rosemary Sobol, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2022 Using the agency rule-making process to pursue policy is a troublesome, last-ditch effort to deliver on campaign promises.

Erin Norman, National Review, 1 Aug. 2022 Rengifo and Jared Walsh then made a last-ditch effort in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Sarah Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2022 Last-ditch effort: Chief Justice John Roberts attempted to persuade the other Supreme Court justices to keep Roe v. Wade in place and failed, his efforts possibly stunted by the draft opinion’s leak, CNN reported.

Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY, 27 July 2022 With all the roses handed out, that meant Alec, Tremayne, Meatball and Jacob all went home — but Meatball made a last-ditch effort to stay.

Dana Rose Falcone, PEOPLE.com, 25 July 2022 Mattarella at first rejected the resignation and asked Draghi to make a last-ditch effort to persuade the country’s fractious parties to stick together for the benefit of the nation.

Jason Horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2022 Its star witnesses were Rudy Giuliani and the Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis, who were leading a frenzied last-ditch effort to overturn the presidential election by ostensibly lawful means.

New York Times, 19 July 2022

Verb

Not all anti-monarchists support independence, and not all pro-independence activists want to ditch the monarchy.

Alexander Smith, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2022 Last year, Barbados became the first country in about 30 years to ditch the monarchy.

Mike Cherney, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2022 Berkshire’s selloff has encouraged other investors to ditch the stock.

Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2022 Now the reality of a passwordless future is taking a big leap forward, with the ability to ditch passwords being rolled out for millions of people.

WIRED, 9 Sep. 2022 Momoa isn't the first to ditch his hair for a cause.

Amy Haneline, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2022 But some lucky employees have been able to ditch their commutes and be more available to their families and friends while still getting their assignments done.

Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2022 Front residents will be able ditch their pollution-spewing cars this week and hop on public transit for free, thanks to a program aimed at clearing the air.

Blake Apgar, The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 Aug. 2022 There's also plenty of speculation that Apple will ditch the notch in favor of a standalone selfie camera sensor on the Pro models, though the base iPhone 14 models are likely to stick with the old design.

Dave Leclair, PCMAG, 31 Aug. 2022 See More

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.