: a long narrow excavation dug in the earth (as for drainage)
ditched; ditching; ditches
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
Synonyms
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
Josh Holder, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
On the night of his disappearance, Edberg’s pickup truck was found in a ditch near Interstates 694 and 35 with its lights off and doors locked.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 15 Apr. 2024
Police, unaware at the time of Polly’s kidnapping, helped free Davis’ car from a ditch on a private road a few hours later.
—John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
First scan these areas with your sonar and put marker buoys along channels and ditches to chart your route.
—Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
Whiteland Police report sinkhole The sinkhole, which measures at around 3 feet wide and 5 feet deep is located along Whiteland Road near Whiteland Community High School and Brewer ditch.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Apr. 2024
If reaching a safe shelter is not possible, either crouch down in your car and shield your head, or leave your vehicle and find shelter in a ditch or ravine.
—Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024
Read Next National Dog shot ‘execution style,’ left to die in Washington ditch.
—Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2024
Just hours later, San Antonio police found her naked body in a drainage ditch beneath a bridge on the 7600 block of Dell Oak Drive.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 27 Mar. 2024
Alan Murray, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
In addition, the SOMA stage will mark a return to the Marx Meadow, ditching the tent format for an extended, open air dance space spotlighting house and techno stars, including actor/DJ Idris Elba, Uncle Waffles, The Blessed Madonna and Shiba San b2b CID, among others.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2024
Lewis, who has an appealing, delicate voice and a modest presence, comes to feel like a background player in her own adventure (perhaps ditching Toto from the script doesn’t help).
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
Colorful bags are having a fashion moment — and famous moms like Hilary Duff, Jennifer Lopez, and Heidi Klum are ditching black and brown purses for more vibrant styles.
—Taylor Jean Stephan, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Thor star Chris Hemsworth ditched his hammer for his trusty Audemars Piguet at this year’s CinemaCon in Vegas.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Apr. 2024
For some people, simply switching shoes (and possibly ditching their socks) is enough to help their toes achieve proper splay.
—Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
Katie Holmes, Joanna Gaines, and Mindy Kaling have all ditched skin-tight styles in favor of breezier alternatives this spring.
—Averi Baudler, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
So, ditch your old skinny jeans and snag one of these pairs that even my Gen Z teens approve of.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
The defensive lines only include larger fortifications, such as long anti-tank ditches, and do not include smaller defenses like infantry trenches.
—Josh Holder, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
On the night of his disappearance, Edberg’s pickup truck was found in a ditch near Interstates 694 and 35 with its lights off and doors locked.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 15 Apr. 2024
Police, unaware at the time of Polly’s kidnapping, helped free Davis’ car from a ditch on a private road a few hours later.
—John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
First scan these areas with your sonar and put marker buoys along channels and ditches to chart your route.
—Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
Whiteland Police report sinkhole The sinkhole, which measures at around 3 feet wide and 5 feet deep is located along Whiteland Road near Whiteland Community High School and Brewer ditch.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Apr. 2024
If reaching a safe shelter is not possible, either crouch down in your car and shield your head, or leave your vehicle and find shelter in a ditch or ravine.
—Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024
Read Next National Dog shot ‘execution style,’ left to die in Washington ditch.
—Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2024
Just hours later, San Antonio police found her naked body in a drainage ditch beneath a bridge on the 7600 block of Dell Oak Drive.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
The company last moved its headquarters in 2020, ditching Silicon Valley for Austin, Texas.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
In addition, the SOMA stage will mark a return to the Marx Meadow, ditching the tent format for an extended, open air dance space spotlighting house and techno stars, including actor/DJ Idris Elba, Uncle Waffles, The Blessed Madonna and Shiba San b2b CID, among others.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2024
Lewis, who has an appealing, delicate voice and a modest presence, comes to feel like a background player in her own adventure (perhaps ditching Toto from the script doesn’t help).
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
Colorful bags are having a fashion moment — and famous moms like Hilary Duff, Jennifer Lopez, and Heidi Klum are ditching black and brown purses for more vibrant styles.
—Taylor Jean Stephan, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Thor star Chris Hemsworth ditched his hammer for his trusty Audemars Piguet at this year’s CinemaCon in Vegas.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Apr. 2024
For some people, simply switching shoes (and possibly ditching their socks) is enough to help their toes achieve proper splay.
—Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
Katie Holmes, Joanna Gaines, and Mindy Kaling have all ditched skin-tight styles in favor of breezier alternatives this spring.
—Averi Baudler, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
So, ditch your old skinny jeans and snag one of these pairs that even my Gen Z teens approve of.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ditch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ditch
Cite this Entry
“Ditch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ditch. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
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