ditch

1 of 2

noun

ˈdich 

: a long narrow excavation dug in the earth (as for drainage)

ditch

2 of 2

verb

ditched; ditching; ditches

transitive verb

1

a

: to surround with a long narrow cavity in the earth : to enclose with a ditch (see ditch entry 1)

The pasture was hedged and ditched.

b

: to dig a ditch in

2

aviation : to make a forced landing of (an airplane) on water

successfully ditched the plane

3

a

: to get rid of : discard

ditch an old car

had to ditch their plan

b

: to end association with : leave

ditched school

His girlfriend ditched him.

intransitive verb

1

: to dig a ditch

2

aviation : to crash-land at sea

Synonyms of ditch

Noun

• trench
• gutter
• ravine

Verb

• dump
• leave

Examples of ditch in a Sentence

Noun

He drove the car into the ditch.

after skidding on the ice, our car went right into the ditch

Verb

The thief ditched the purse in an alley.

They ditched the car in a vacant lot.

They ditched me at the concert.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Helen watched the ditches for pheasants but again there weren’t any. — Tom Drury, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

The Hornets have to regroup in an effort to save the season before the most curious campaign in the 73-year history of the program veers hard into the ditch. — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Verb

Researchers have developed a paper-thin foot membrane that lets crawling microrobots harvest electricity directly from the ground beneath them, ditching heavy onboard batteries by turning metal and silicon surfaces into an active power source. — New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026

Even among those lucky enough to have a job, a significant portion of the generation wants to ditch their current employers for greener pastures. — Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English dich, from Old English dīc dike, ditch; akin to Middle High German tīch pond, dike

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

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

Phrases Containing ditch

• last ditch

Rhymes for ditch

• bitch
• fiche
• glitch
• hitch
• ich
• itch
• kitsch
• lich
• mitch
• niche
• pitch
• snitch

Kids Definition

ditch

1 of 2 noun

ˈdich 

: a long narrow channel or trench dug in the earth

ditch

2 of 2 verb

1

: to dig a ditch in or around

2

a

: to get rid of : discard

ditch an old car

b

: to end association with : leave

his girlfriend ditched him

3

: to make a forced landing of (an airplane) on water