: a passage giving access usually by a ladder or stairs to an enclosed space (such as a cellar)
also
: hatch sense 2a
Examples of hatchway in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Detectives also discovered that the basement could only be entered through a hatchway that was only accessible from the outside, according to state police.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2025
Detectives also discovered that the basement could only be entered through a hatchway that was only accessible from the outside, according to state police.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2025
The suspect was able to break in through an exterior hatchway, Appleby said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 29 July 2024
Additional officers surrounded the home before Tate exited the basement hatchway and was taken into custody, the report said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2024
Sailors who got snatched up were transported in the holds of small ships known as tenders, which resembled floating jails, with gratings bolted over the hatchways and marines standing guard with muskets and bayonets.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
Astronomer Mark Aaronson, 36, was killed in 1987 when a design flaw allowed the 150-ton revolving dome of the Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona to continue rotating after it had been switched off, catching and crushing Aaronson in a hatchway.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Oct. 2022
Working swiftly in the frigid water, divers inserted miniature ROVs through openings in the main hatchway and skylights in the crew’s cabins, officers’ mess, and captain’s stateroom.
—Roff Smith, National Geographic, 28 Aug. 2019
Everything lined up, including hatchways on the sidewalk that lead to cellars.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 7 June 2018
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Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2025
Detectives also discovered that the basement could only be entered through a hatchway that was only accessible from the outside, according to state police.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2025
The suspect was able to break in through an exterior hatchway, Appleby said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 29 July 2024
Additional officers surrounded the home before Tate exited the basement hatchway and was taken into custody, the report said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2024
Sailors who got snatched up were transported in the holds of small ships known as tenders, which resembled floating jails, with gratings bolted over the hatchways and marines standing guard with muskets and bayonets.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
Astronomer Mark Aaronson, 36, was killed in 1987 when a design flaw allowed the 150-ton revolving dome of the Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona to continue rotating after it had been switched off, catching and crushing Aaronson in a hatchway.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Oct. 2022
Working swiftly in the frigid water, divers inserted miniature ROVs through openings in the main hatchway and skylights in the crew’s cabins, officers’ mess, and captain’s stateroom.
—Roff Smith, National Geographic, 28 Aug. 2019
Everything lined up, including hatchways on the sidewalk that lead to cellars.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 7 June 2018
Cite this Entry
“Hatchway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hatchway. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hatchway
noun
hatch·way
ˈhach-ˌwā 
: a hatch usually with a ladder or stairs
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