Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense ditches, present participle ditching, past tense, past participle ditched
1. countable noun
A ditch is a long narrow channel cut into the ground at the side of a road or field.
Synonyms: channel, drain, trench, gutter More Synonyms of ditch
2. verb
If you ditch something that you have or are responsible for, you abandon it or get rid of it, because you no longer want it.
[informal]
I decided to ditch the sofa bed. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: get rid of, dump [informal], scrap, bin [informal] More Synonyms of ditch
3. verb
If someone ditches someone, they end a relationship with that person.
[informal]
I can't bring myself to ditch him and start again. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: leave, drop, abandon, desert More Synonyms of ditch
4. verb
If a pilot ditches an aircraft or if it ditches, the pilot makes an emergency landing.
One American pilot was forced to ditch his jet in the Gulf. [VERB noun]
A survivor was knocked unconscious when the helicopter ditched. [VERB]
5. See also last-ditch
ditch in British English
(dɪtʃ)
noun
1.
a narrow channel dug in the earth, usually used for drainage, irrigation, or as a boundary marker
2.
any small, natural waterway
3. Irish
a bank made of earth excavated from and placed alongside a drain or stream
4. informal
either of the gutters at the side of a tenpin bowling lane
5. last ditch
verb
6.
to make a ditch or ditches in (a piece of ground)
7. (intransitive)
to edge (something) with a ditch
8. informal
to crash or be crashed, esp deliberately, as to avoid more unpleasant circumstances
he had to ditch the car
9. (transitive) slang
to abandon or discard
to ditch a girlfriend
10. informal
to land (an aircraft) on water in an emergency
11. (transitive) US slang
to evade
to ditch the police
Derived forms
ditcher (ˈditcher)
noun
ditchless (ˈditchless)
adjective
Word origin
Old English dīc; related to Old Saxon dīk, Old Norse dīki, Middle High German tīch dyke, pond, Latin fīgere to stick, see dyke1
Ditch in British English
(dɪtʃ)
noun Australian and New Zealand
the Ditch
ditch in American English
(dɪtʃ)
noun
1.
a long, narrow channel dug into the earth, as a trough for drainage or irrigation
verb transitive
2.
to border with a ditch
3.
to make a ditch or ditches in
4. US
a.
to cause (a car, wagon, etc.) to go into a ditch
b.
to derail (a train)
5.
to set (a disabled aircraft) down on water and abandon it
6. US, Slang
a.
to get rid of
b.
to get away from (an unwanted companion, etc.)
verb intransitive
7.
to dig a ditch or ditches
8.
to ditch a disabled plane
Word origin
ME dich < OE dic, a ditch, drain: see dike1
More idioms containing
ditch
a last ditch attempt
Examples of 'ditch' in a sentence
ditch
We pushed forwards along an irrigation ditch on the side of a maize field.
The Sun (2009)
The car skidded from ditch to ditch and left the road.
Judd, Alan Ford Madox Ford (1990)
It is a first step towards ditching laws that make the eldest son heir to the throne.
The Sun (2011)
Long lines of them will soon be crossing the countryside alongside hedges and ditches.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Anyone unhappy with the service they are getting from their bank really should ditch it.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They tended their fields and repaired the drainage ditches which had been destroyed by avalanches.
Lutzner, Dr Helmut Successful Fasting -the easy way to cleanse your body of its poisons (1990)
Most new students do not ditch longstanding girlfriends and boyfriends as soon as they leave home.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Helicopter rescues were ditched in bad weather.
The Sun (2015)
Irvine has no plans to ditch all his luxuries.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They found him at the bottom of an irrigation ditch.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
She had seen him crash his car into a ditch and stopped to phone for help.
The Sun (2008)
Hundreds of staff have been fired and various routes have been ditched to make the deal possible.
The Sun (2014)
Field boundary ditches are shown by continuous lines.
Francis Pryor BRITAIN BC: Life In Britain and Ireland before the Romans (2003)
There are freshly cut drainage ditches to the left and right.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It might be better to make a new year resolution to ditch the banks and building societies completely.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The victim of the motorcycle theft can be heard cursing the robber as he lies bleeding in the road by the ditched bike.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Then he went to look at the cart, on its side in the ditch.
Kenneth Grahame The Wind in the Willows (1908)
Nicola is unconscious, hidden in a ditch by the road.
The Sun (2008)
All four women are aware that they might be shot down or forced to ditch the aircraft in hostile territory and have prepared for the possibility.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Should I ditch my girlfriend for her?
The Sun (2010)
A pilot was rescued after his light aircraft ditched in the English Channel.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Word lists with
ditch
terms used in aviation
In other languages
ditch
British English: ditch /dɪtʃ/ NOUN
A ditch is a long narrow channel cut into the ground at the side of a road or field.
Both vehicles landed in a ditch.
American English: ditch
Arabic: خَنْدَق
Brazilian Portuguese: fosso
Chinese: 小沟
Croatian: jarak
Czech: strouha
Danish: grøft
Dutch: sloot
European Spanish: cuneta desagüe
Finnish: oja
French: fossé
German: Graben
Greek: χαντάκι
Italian: fosso
Japanese: 溝
Korean: 수로
Norwegian: grøft
Polish: rów
European Portuguese: fosso
Romanian: șanț
Russian: кювет
Latin American Spanish: zanja
Swedish: dike
Thai: คูน้ำ
Turkish: hendek
Ukrainian: рів
Vietnamese: mương
British English: ditch /dɪtʃ/ VERB
If you ditch something, you get rid of it.
I decided to ditch the sofa bed.
American English: ditch
Arabic: يَتْرُكُ
Brazilian Portuguese: livrar-se de
Chinese: 抛弃
Croatian: odbaciti
Czech: zbavit se čeho
Danish: skrotte
Dutch: afdanken
European Spanish: desechar
Finnish: hylätä
French: abandonner
German: abservieren
Greek: ξεφορτώνομαι
Italian: disfarsi
Japanese: 捨てる
Korean: 버리다
Norwegian: kvitte (seg) med
Polish: zarzucić
European Portuguese: livrar-se de
Romanian: a abandona
Russian: выбрасывать
Latin American Spanish: desechar
Swedish: göra sig av med
Thai: ทิ้ง
Turkish: sepetlemek
Ukrainian: позбавлятися
Vietnamese: bỏ
All related terms of 'ditch'
the Ditch
an informal name for the Tasman Sea
last ditch
A last-ditch action is done only because there are no other ways left to achieve something or to prevent something happening . It is often done without much hope that it will succeed .
drainage ditch
a ditch that excess water drains into
irrigation ditch
a ditch that artificially supplies water to an area of dry land
a last ditch attempt
an action performed when everything else has failed , as a final attempt to avoid disaster , although it too seems likely to fail