hatch

¹ American  

[hach] / hætʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to bring forth (young) from the egg.

   Synonyms:

   brood, incubate

2. to cause young to emerge from (the egg) as by brooding or incubating.

3. to bring forth or produce; devise; invent; contrive; concoct.

   to hatch a scheme.

   Synonyms:

   plot, plan

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verb (used without object)

1. to be hatched.

2. to brood.

noun

1. the act of hatching.

2. something that is hatched, as a brood.

hatch ² American  

[hach] / hætʃ /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. Also called hatchway.  an opening, usually rectangular, in the deck through which passengers can pass, cargo can be loaded or unloaded, etc.

   2. the cover over such an opening.

2. an opening that serves as a doorway or window in the floor or roof of a building.

3. the cover over such an opening.

4. Slang. the throat as used for drinking.

   His usual toast was a muttered “Down the hatch!”

5. Aeronautics. an opening or door in an aircraft.

6. the lower half of a divided door, both parts of which can be opened separately.

7. a small door, grated opening, or serving counter in or attached to the wall of a building, room, etc., as for a merchant's stall.

8. a bin or compartment built into a confined space, especially a deep storage bin.

9. Automotive.

   1. the cargo area in a hatchback.

   2. Also called liftgate.  the hinged lid of a hatchback that swings upward to provide access to the cargo area.

10. anything resembling a hatch.

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idioms

1. batten down the / one's hatches,

   1. Nautical. prepare for stormy weather: used as a command.

   2. to prepare to meet an emergency or face a great difficulty.

      The government must batten down its hatches before the election.

hatch ³ American  

[hach] / hætʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to mark with lines, especially closely set parallel lines, as for shading in drawing or engraving.

2. hachure.

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noun

1. a shading line in drawing or engraving.

hatch ¹ British  

/ hætʃ /

noun

1. a covering for a hatchway

2. 1. short for hatchway

   2. a door in an aircraft or spacecraft

3. Also called: serving hatch.  an opening in a wall between a kitchen and a dining area

4. the lower half of a divided door

5. a sluice or sliding gate in a dam, dyke, or weir

6. slang (used as a toast) drink up!

7. 1. below decks

   2. out of sight

   3. brought low; dead

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hatch ² British  

/ hætʃ /

verb

1. to cause (the young of various animals, esp birds) to emerge from the egg or (of young birds, etc) to emerge from the egg

2. to cause (eggs) to break and release the fully developed young or (of eggs) to break and release the young animal within

3. (tr) to contrive or devise (a scheme, plot, etc)

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noun

1. the act or process of hatching

2. a group of newly hatched animals

hatch ³ British  

/ hætʃ /

verb

1. art to mark (a figure, shade, etc) with fine parallel or crossed lines to indicate shading Compare hachure

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hatch ⁴ British  

/ hætʃ /

noun

1. informal short for hatchback

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hatch More Idioms  

1. see batten down the hatches; count one's chickens before they hatch; down the hatch.

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Other Word Forms

• hatchability
  noun
• hatchable
  adjective
• hatcher
  noun
• hatching
  noun
• unhatchability
  noun
• unhatchable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of hatch¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English hacchen. hetchen; akin to German hecken “(of birds) to mate, incubate, hatch”

Origin of hatch²

First recorded before 1100; Middle English hacche, hache, hatche “lower half of a divided door, small door, gate,” Old English hæcc, hæc “grating, hatch, half-gate”; akin to Dutch hek “fence, gate, railing”

Origin of hatch³

First recorded in 1470–80; earlier hache, from Middle French hacher “to cut up,” derivative of hache “ax”; see origin at hatchet

Explanation

A bird such as a hen that sits on eggs to incubate them can be said to hatch the eggs. Then, when the chick emerges from the egg, you can also say it hatched. Humans don't hatch eggs like birds do, but they can still incubate and then hatch a plan, invention, or idea. You may hatch a plan to surprise a friend for her thirtieth birthday party, but to ensure you don't end up with egg on your face, you should verify your friend isn't actually twenty-nine for the third year in a row! As a noun, a hatch is a trapdoor or other opening in the floor, ceiling, or wall that allows access.

Example Sentences

In a typical full-size SUV, the glass in the rear hatch is about 10 feet away from the rearview mirror, with two sets of headrests in between.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

This year's eggs should start to hatch towards the end of May.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Broods that hatch earlier in spring tend to benefit from occasional warm spells, when caterpillars are abundant and temperatures remain within safe limits.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026

New arrivals are handed a few items through a hatch: a shirt, a jacket, trousers and a coat, all blue.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

The evening breeze blows through the cracked hatch and tries to push me backward—right back to doing nothing in my best friend’s basement.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• breed
• come up with
• conceive
• concoct
• devise
• dream up
• formulate
• incubate
• invent
• originate
• spawn