thatch

1 of 2

verb

ˈthach 

thatched; thatching; thatches

transitive verb

: to cover with or as if with thatch

thatcher noun

thatch

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a plant material (such as straw) used as a sheltering cover especially of a house

b

: a sheltering cover (such as a house roof) made of such material

c

: a mat of undecomposed plant material (such as grass clippings) accumulated next to the soil in a grassy area (such as a lawn)

2

: something likened to the thatch of a house

especially : the hair of one's head

Examples of thatch in a Sentence

Noun

Mice were living in the thatch of the roof.

We ate lunch in the shade under the thatch of a beachfront restaurant.

her thatch of dark brown hair

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Comedy, drama, trauma, and sisterly love were all thatched together to make the new Netflix romantic comedy, Voicemails for Isabelle. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026

The main lodges and villas, designed by Habita Architects, have thatched roofs in the shape of nón lá conical hats. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 2026

Noun

The silver thatch palm, indeginous to Cayman, was twisted by hand into rope that would not rot in saltwater, traded with passing ships for flour and salt and essentials the islands could not produce. — Baz Dreisinger, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

Gojko Culibrk Cellphone videos captured thatch-roof structures engulfed in fast-spreading flames across the beachside resort. — Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 20 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English thecchen, from Old English theccan to cover; akin to Old High German decchen to cover, Latin tegere, Greek stegein to cover, stegos roof, Sanskrit sthagati he covers

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

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

Rhymes for thatch

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

Kids Definition

thatch

1 of 2 verb

ˈthach 

: to cover with or as if with thatch

thatch

2 of 2 noun

1

: a plant material (as straw) used to cover the roof of a building

2

: a mat of plant matter (as grass clippings) that has accumulated on the soil surface of a grassy area (as a lawn)