as in trenches
a long narrow channel dug in the earth
after skidding on the ice, our car went right into the ditch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in dumps
to end a usually intimate relationship with
ditched his wife for a woman 30 years his junior
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discards
to get rid of as useless or unwanted
we ditched the old table at the town dump
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of ditches
Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
The big feathery cottonwoods along the ditches were just turning then, flaunting great masses of clear, bright yellow against the transparent blue of the southern Arizona sky.
—Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 Oct. 2025
In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
During heavy rain, avoid parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a serious risk.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
As a little boy Millet once helped grandpa cement ditches and in recent years has helped plant new trees.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Most farm fields have open drainage ditches alongside them to capture runoff.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 25 Sep. 2025
Cottonmouths can be found in aquatic and wetland areas like swamps, marshes, drainage ditches, ponds, lakes and streams.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Sep. 2025
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Dion, with her blond bombshell waves, ditches her microphone for the glass potion bottle, holding it firmly to the sky.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025
Dual Front mode Rainbow Six Siege ditches turn-taking to let players attack and defend simultaneously.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Its Foamy pad ditches the air in favor of all-foam construction.
—Wes Siler, Outside, 27 Aug. 2025
Continue reading … CATCHING HEAT – Cracker Barrel board member under fire for work background after restaurant ditches logo.
—FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The third new classroom is the new art classroom and ditches the L to accommodate more specialized equipment including a kiln.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
But the focus makes Poilievre look too close to Trump and risks backfiring if Carney goes ahead and once again ditches a Justin Trudeau-era policy.
—David Moscrop, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
Nelson was a teenager who would sometimes work for Gacy, and remembered the contractor asking him to help dig some ditches, about six feet deep and four feet long.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
The big feathery cottonwoods along the ditches were just turning then, flaunting great masses of clear, bright yellow against the transparent blue of the southern Arizona sky.
—Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 Oct. 2025
In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
During heavy rain, avoid parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a serious risk.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
As a little boy Millet once helped grandpa cement ditches and in recent years has helped plant new trees.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Most farm fields have open drainage ditches alongside them to capture runoff.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 25 Sep. 2025
Cottonmouths can be found in aquatic and wetland areas like swamps, marshes, drainage ditches, ponds, lakes and streams.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
The bill also ditches the burdensome cover-up requirement for claims against individuals.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Dion, with her blond bombshell waves, ditches her microphone for the glass potion bottle, holding it firmly to the sky.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025
Dual Front mode Rainbow Six Siege ditches turn-taking to let players attack and defend simultaneously.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Its Foamy pad ditches the air in favor of all-foam construction.
—Wes Siler, Outside, 27 Aug. 2025
Continue reading … CATCHING HEAT – Cracker Barrel board member under fire for work background after restaurant ditches logo.
—FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The third new classroom is the new art classroom and ditches the L to accommodate more specialized equipment including a kiln.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
But the focus makes Poilievre look too close to Trump and risks backfiring if Carney goes ahead and once again ditches a Justin Trudeau-era policy.
—David Moscrop, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ditches
Noun
-
This clay molding process was known to preserve the form of soft animals in oxygen-poor areas, such as the muds at the bottom of lagoons and deep-sea trenches, Sereno says.—
Andrea Tamayo,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The discoveries span worms, mollusks, and crustaceans collected from habitats ranging from shallow waters to the ocean’s deepest trenches.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Brad Pitt is a klutzy errand boy for the mob sent to Mexico to retrieve a priceless pistol with a magical backstory; Julia Roberts is his long-suffering girlfriend who angrily dumps him upon hearing the news.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
-
But then that tree dumps a huge load of leaves onto your property.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Non-reusable textiles (otherwise known as NRTs) are of particular interest, underscored by ACT UK’s report that the region discards 740,000 metric tons of NRT every year.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Marysol and Alexia take Julia, Lisa, and an unusually dour Adriana, who is moping about her birthday and how society discards women of a certain age.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Beyond pipe replacements, some residents on the east side have been waiting for the city to add sidewalks and underground gutters as many communities still have a ditch gutter system to manage the water, which can be problematic for nearby homes due to flooding risk.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
-
While some paid to have headstones moved, many stayed in San Francisco and were later used in building projects including gutters and a breakwater.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The defeat, Nuno Espirito Santo’s first win as West Ham coach, leaves Newcastle 13th, five points ahead of West Ham in 18th and 13 points behind league leaders Arsenal.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Parsley leaves also turn bitter after bolting.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Continue reading … MEDIA HOLLYWOOD MELTDOWN – Stephen Miller unloads on 'sad, bitter' Robert De Niro after actor's 'Nazi' attack.—
,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Cars pull into the courtyard; someone unloads a television from the back of one of them.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In the Dominican Republic, 12 provinces are on red alert due to possible flooding of rivers, streams and ravines as well as flash floods and landslides.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Michael Anderson, executive director of the Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance, said with results from Senjem in hand, landowners will be able to take action to stop sediment from ravines on their properties.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, each conversion step consumes energy, introduces delay, and loses some of the information carried by the original signal.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Judges also review arbitration awards with a high degree of deference, meaning the side that loses the arbitration is often disincentivized to petition a judge to vacate the award.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ditches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ditches. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share