latch

1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈlach 

latched; latching; latches

intransitive verb

1

: to lay hold with or as if with the hands or arms

—used with on or onto

2

: to associate oneself intimately and often artfully

—used with on or onto

latched onto a rich widow

latch

2 of 3

noun

: any of various devices in which mating mechanical parts engage to fasten but usually not to lock something:

a

: a fastener (as for a door) consisting essentially of a pivoted bar that falls into a notch

b

: a fastener (as for a door) in which a spring slides a bolt into a hole

also : night latch

latch

3 of 3

verb (2)

latched; latching; latches

transitive verb

: to make fast with or as if with a latch

Examples of latch in a Sentence

Noun

He lifted the latch and opened the gate.

I heard her key turn in the latch.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Funny, isn’t it, how people latch onto one thing and not another? —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2026

The one commode in it was shielded from sight only by wooden shutters, which swung on double-action spring hinges, like saloon doors, and had to be latched shut with a hook on a swivel. —Caleb Crain, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026

Noun

The ordinance requires at least one safety feature, such as a pool safety barrier, pool safety cover, pool alarm, or a door latch or alarm. —Cbs News Miami, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026

The ordinance requires at least one safety feature, such as a pool safety barrier, pool safety cover, pool alarm, or a door latch or alarm. —Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English lacchen "to catch, seize, take, obtain (transitive or with on, up)," going back to Old English læccan "to take hold of, snatch, seize" (class I weak verb), perhaps going back to Indo-European *sleh₂g^w- "take, seize," whence also Greek lázomai, lázesthai "to take hold of," lambánō, lambánein "to grasp, take hold of"

Note: The Old English verb is without evident Germanic congeners. If cognate with the Greek verb, whose dialect forms show traces of an initial s, the outcome *lak-i̯e- in Germanic rather than *(s)lok-i̯e- or *(s)ulk-i̯e- (with loss of mobile s) must somehow be analogical.

Noun

Middle English lacche, probably derivative of lacchen "to catch, seize" — more at latch entry 1

Verb (2)

derivative of latch entry 2

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1530, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing latch

• latch on
• latch onto
• night latch
• on the latch

Rhymes for latch

• bache
• batch
• brach
• catch
• hatch
• mache
• match
• patch
• rach
• scratch
• snatch
• tache

Kids Definition

latch

1 of 3 verb

ˈlach 

1

: to get hold

2

: to attach oneself

latch

2 of 3 noun

: a catch (as a spring bolt) that holds a door or gate closed

latch

3 of 3 verb

: to catch or fasten by means of a latch