hatchway

[ hach-wey ]
See synonyms for hatchway on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Nautical. hatch2 (def. 1a).

  2. the opening of any trap door, as in a floor, ceiling, or roof.

Origin of hatchway

1
First recorded in 1620–30; hatch2 + way1

Words Nearby hatchway

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hatchway in a sentence

  • A great sheet of flame burst up through the hatchway, and frightful cries came from below.

  • When Tom awoke, about seven hours later, it was broad daylight and the sun was streaming into the hatchway.

    The Rival Campers | Ruel Perley Smith
  • I say, you young cub down there,” shouted the skipper to him from the hatchway, “come up and swab this deck.

    Eric, or Little by Little | Frederic W. Farrar
  • At the pipe, the sailors below ran up the hatchway, and those on deck threw down their work.

    Newton Forster | Captain Frederick Marryat
  • I saw him come out on deck again with a tool-chest and a lantern, and go down the forward hatchway.

    Dracula | Bram Stoker

British Dictionary definitions for hatchway

hatchway

/ (ˈhætʃˌweɪ) /


noun
  1. an opening in the deck of a vessel to provide access below

  2. a similar opening in a wall, floor, ceiling, or roof, usually fitted with a lid or door

  • Often shortened to: hatch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012