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
Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 13 Apr. 2026
During heavy rain, avoid parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a serious risk.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
The exact place where South ends and North begins was carefully pointed out to me by a group of Southern men tidying the ditches for the local council.
—Colm Tóibín, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
The boundaries of the necropolis are not clearly defined, scientists said, noting modern planting pits, ditches and agricultural work have obliterated several tombs.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
The sweet steam mixed with the sour smell of leaves in ditches and marshy places along the creek.
—Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026
If outside, seek shelter in low-lying areas like ditches or ravines.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
The elaborate network of rainfall, rivulets of ditches, and control structures became a sort of language for Van Lent.
—Michael Adno, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
In most of the Colorado River’s upper basin—in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming—water is not collected in many reservoirs; instead, it is diverted out to thousands of small locations, from streams to irrigation ditches.
—Rebecca Boyle, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Apr. 2026
OpenAI ditches video generation app Sora, and loses $1 billion from Disney.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Just ditches her completely because of peer pressure from his rich friends.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2026
Season 2 ditches the courtroom for a company retreat, trading the isolated environment of a trial for the isolated environment of an offsite (at a ranch just north of Los Angeles).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Nicholson wrote that the Jim Crow-era murder musical is the best kind of smart filmmaking, a barn-burner about religion and art and race that ditches the speeches for scenes of action and romance.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Meet the Acela Trucks Dispatcher 4×4, which ditches the four-door/short-bed arrangement found on the standard Gladiator for a single cab and a massive 7’x5′ flat-load bed.
—Byron Hurd, The Drive, 11 Mar. 2026
Rosamund Pike ditches her signature blunt bob in the trailer for her new film, In the Grey.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
The relaxed outdoor atmosphere ditches the white tablecloth mentality, creating an environment where couples can genuinely be themselves.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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, Daily News, 13 Apr. 2026
During heavy rain, avoid parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a serious risk.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
The exact place where South ends and North begins was carefully pointed out to me by a group of Southern men tidying the ditches for the local council.
—Colm Tóibín, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
The boundaries of the necropolis are not clearly defined, scientists said, noting modern planting pits, ditches and agricultural work have obliterated several tombs.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
The sweet steam mixed with the sour smell of leaves in ditches and marshy places along the creek.
—Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026
If outside, seek shelter in low-lying areas like ditches or ravines.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
The elaborate network of rainfall, rivulets of ditches, and control structures became a sort of language for Van Lent.
—Michael Adno, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
In most of the Colorado River’s upper basin—in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming—water is not collected in many reservoirs; instead, it is diverted out to thousands of small locations, from streams to irrigation ditches.
—Rebecca Boyle, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
If the Supreme Court rules for Louisiana and ditches Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and ends the majority-minority district requirement, what’s your next move in Annapolis?
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Apr. 2026
OpenAI ditches video generation app Sora, and loses $1 billion from Disney.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Just ditches her completely because of peer pressure from his rich friends.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2026
Season 2 ditches the courtroom for a company retreat, trading the isolated environment of a trial for the isolated environment of an offsite (at a ranch just north of Los Angeles).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Nicholson wrote that the Jim Crow-era murder musical is the best kind of smart filmmaking, a barn-burner about religion and art and race that ditches the speeches for scenes of action and romance.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Meet the Acela Trucks Dispatcher 4×4, which ditches the four-door/short-bed arrangement found on the standard Gladiator for a single cab and a massive 7’x5′ flat-load bed.
—Byron Hurd, The Drive, 11 Mar. 2026
Rosamund Pike ditches her signature blunt bob in the trailer for her new film, In the Grey.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
The relaxed outdoor atmosphere ditches the white tablecloth mentality, creating an environment where couples can genuinely be themselves.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ditches
Noun
-
Their work, however, has survived in the deep trenches at New Cut which have endured for three hundred years.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
-
His journey — from the ideological trenches of the Caracas socialist regime to the cultural corridors of Hollywood — offers a rare window into how power, influence and reinvention intersect across borders.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But that was due to an issue with the primary vent on Orion that dumps wastewater overboard, which may have built up ice around it.—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
4 Apr. 2026
-
If a company dumps toxic waste into a local river and your children get sick and die, there is no value lost, there are no damages, no liability—the ultimate rationale for Milton Friedman’s externalization of costs.—
Andrew Behar,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Try the Storm Chaser, which sends you into a zero-gravity fall, catches you in a funnel, then discards you into a pool below.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Feb. 2026
-
At the same time, Gans discards the psychological and spatial logic that gave meaning to the original telling’s dream-like sense of disorientation.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Accentuated by sleek black trim on windows, doors, and gutters, and natural wood paneling at the entry, these features, combined with clean walkway lines, deliver a stunning contemporary touch to the exterior.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Remove debris from gutters and at the base of downspouts.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That leaves only right-hander Jacob Webb and left-handers Hoby Milner and Caleb Thielbar as veteran relievers for Counsell.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
-
That leaves Washington at a strange juncture, with widespread agreement among lawmakers that something should be done to address the issue of prediction markets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
An oil tanker unloads crude oil at a terminal at the port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province on March 11, 2026.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
After his dreams are all but dashed, Shah unloads on himself.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
She was found hours later, barely alive and with a fractured skull, having been brutally raped and left for dead in one of the park’s ravines.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The Rock Creek Loop traverses approximately seven miles of ravines, creeks, subtropical forest, and small footbridges.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Helios, which previously had a monopoly on the Moon's resources, loses an antitrust lawsuit to Exxon, Shell, and Halliburton.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The deeper the water, the sooner a vehicle loses traction on the road.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ditches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ditches. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
