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
Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 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, 18 Feb. 2026
During heavy rain, avoid playing near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a serious risk.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.
—Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 18 Feb. 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
The ditches drop deep into scraggly forest on either side of that road, and in the winter, cars often slide off and topple down the hill.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
This does not include cars that slide into ditches or crashes reported to local authorities.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 2026
These joints were also designed to be lockable for bridging wide anti-tank ditches or canals.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 25 Feb. 2026
Fennell ditches the back half of the book (pretty much everything that happens after a key character’s death), while reading a great deal of unspoken desire between the lines.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Bridgerton season four wisely ditches the blackmail and delays Bridgerton’s indecent proposal.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026
The Duchess occasionally ditches her ring and wedding band.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026
Continue reading … IN OTHER NEWS OUT OF LUCK – Cracker Barrel ditches beloved southern New Year's tradition without explanation.
—FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Our rendition ditches the marshmallow topping in favor of a delicious pecan streusel.
—Brennan Long, Southern Living, 10 Dec. 2025
After spilling her drink, Wilson finally ditches the idea of warming it up, grabs a carton of milk and a bottle of Hershey’s syrup from the refrigerator and pours both into her mouth.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Dec. 2025
The bill also ditches the burdensome cover-up requirement for claims against individuals.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
Instead, the women and their husbands found out about the data center project from speaking directly to the workers hired to move dirt and dig runoff ditches ahead of construction.
—Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 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, 18 Feb. 2026
During heavy rain, avoid playing near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a serious risk.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.
—Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 18 Feb. 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
The ditches drop deep into scraggly forest on either side of that road, and in the winter, cars often slide off and topple down the hill.
—Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
This does not include cars that slide into ditches or crashes reported to local authorities.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 2026
These joints were also designed to be lockable for bridging wide anti-tank ditches or canals.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
Today, the American automaker soft-launched a new front end that ditches the traditional open-mouth grille for more of a horizontal-bar RoboCop-eye-slit design with upswept headlights.
—Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 25 Feb. 2026
Fennell ditches the back half of the book (pretty much everything that happens after a key character’s death), while reading a great deal of unspoken desire between the lines.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Bridgerton season four wisely ditches the blackmail and delays Bridgerton’s indecent proposal.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026
The Duchess occasionally ditches her ring and wedding band.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026
Continue reading … IN OTHER NEWS OUT OF LUCK – Cracker Barrel ditches beloved southern New Year's tradition without explanation.
—FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Our rendition ditches the marshmallow topping in favor of a delicious pecan streusel.
—Brennan Long, Southern Living, 10 Dec. 2025
After spilling her drink, Wilson finally ditches the idea of warming it up, grabs a carton of milk and a bottle of Hershey’s syrup from the refrigerator and pours both into her mouth.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Dec. 2025
The bill also ditches the burdensome cover-up requirement for claims against individuals.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ditches
Noun
-
At New York Fashion Week, editors traded in classic trenches for cape coats tossed over tailoring.—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Those all-weather shoes were paired with an array of trenches, from ones with dramatic ruffled collars to some with sparkly fringe, like streaks of rain.—
Violet Goldstone,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Nature dumps 12 to 18 inches of inconvenience uniformly across an entire community and leaves it up to you and your neighbors to sort out the mess.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
23 Feb. 2026
-
If someone illegally dumps a couch or a mattress or does something and throws it onto the shoulder of the highway.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
17 Feb. 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
-
Clean your gutters and downspouts at least once a year (more often if they get clogged with leaves or other debris).—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Clogged gutters and downspouts.—
Asia London Palomba,
The Spruce,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That leaves Pernetti as the only candidate without any experience working with the NFLPA.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
These observations are anecdotal for Los Angeles County, as the department traditionally sets up its mosquito traps at the beginning of March and leaves them out until about after Thanksgiving, Kluh said.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The ambulance then unloads her on the tarmac next to a private plane.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Continue reading … HEALTH HORROR – Medical watchdog unloads on VCU after nurse fired for viral anti-ICE TikTok video.—
,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The area has deep ravines and dense vegetation.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Low fence markers can be seen outlining the building zone along Route 2, which slopes along open land, wooded patches and some ravines.—
Anna Ortiz,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In another story, Cara, a single parent, loses her apartment when her landlord refuses to fix her hot water heater.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Each team needs a win for its NCAA Tournament resume, and whoever loses will probably need a run at the SEC Tournament to make the field.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ditches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ditches. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
