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

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

3

a

: 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 of ditch

Noun

• trench
• gutter
• ravine

Verb

• dump
• 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

Instead, the women and their husbands found out about the data center project from speaking directly to the workers hired to move dirt and dig runoff ditches ahead of construction. —Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026

The bus was still trapped in the ditch with passengers inside. —ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026

Verb

That redundant, time-consuming process has forced many to ditch the career materials, and Elon Musk is leading the charge. —Jake Angelo, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026

Nestle is not the first major consumer goods company to ditch ice cream, which brings with it bothersome idiosyncrasies such as season-dependent demand and a supply chain able to support frozen goods. —Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English dich, from Old English dīc dike, ditch; akin to Middle High German tīch pond, dike

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing ditch

• last ditch

Rhymes for ditch

• bitch
• fiche
• glitch
• hitch
• ich
• itch
• kitsch
• lich
• mitch
• niche
• pitch
• snitch

Kids Definition

ditch

1 of 2 noun

ˈdich 

: a long narrow channel or trench dug in the earth

ditch

2 of 2 verb

1

: to dig a ditch in or around

2

a

: to get rid of : discard

ditch an old car

b

: to end association with : leave

his girlfriend ditched him

3

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