ditched; ditching; ditches
1
a
: 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
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
City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Hugh Leask, CNBC, 9 May 2026
This week, Charli XCX ditches the dancefloor on a fuzzy rock song, J Balvin and Ryan Castro make their case for song of the summer with an aerobic track, and Little Simz spits atop a trap beat, once again solidifying her rap icon status.
—Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ditch
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Irma Espinoza, 43, was discovered in the ditch half-naked, covered in ants and with her face almost below the water line, according to her family’s lawsuit filed against San Diego County, Sheriff Kelly Martinez and several unnamed sheriff’s deputies.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Verb
John Kennedy, managing director at Decant Index — a trading platform for investors to buy and sell alternative collectables, including premium whisky — said Trump's decision to ditch import levies could improve exit valuations for cask investors.
—Hugh Leask, CNBC, 9 May 2026
This week, Charli XCX ditches the dancefloor on a fuzzy rock song, J Balvin and Ryan Castro make their case for song of the summer with an aerobic track, and Little Simz spits atop a trap beat, once again solidifying her rap icon status.
—Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ditch
Cite this Entry
“Ditch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ditch. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
