latch

American  

[lach] / lætʃ /

noun

• latches
  plural

1. a device for holding a door, gate, or the like, closed, consisting basically of a bar falling or sliding into a catch, groove, hole, etc.

2. a breastfeeding baby’s attachment or connection to the mother’s breast.

   A good, deep latch is important because it allows the infant to get enough milk.

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verb (used with object)

1. to close or fasten with a latch.

2. to attach (a breastfeeding baby) to the breast.

   You should know how to properly latch your newborn.

verb (used without object)

1. to close tightly so that the latch is secured.

   The door won't latch.

2. (of a breastfeeding baby) to be or become attached to the breast.

   Failure to latch can be the result of poor positioning of the baby.

verb phrase

1. latch onto

   1. to take possession of; obtain; get.

   2. to acquire understanding of; comprehend.

   3. to attach oneself to; join in with.

      The stray dog latched onto the children and wouldn't go home.

2. latch on

   1. to grab or hold on, as to an object or idea, especially tightly or tenaciously.

   2. to include or add in; attach.

      If we latch the tax on, the bill will come to over $100.

latch British  

/ lætʃ /

noun

1. a fastening for a gate or door that consists of a bar that may be slid or lowered into a groove, hole, etc

2. a spring-loaded door lock that can be opened by a key from outside

3. Also called: latch circuit.  electronics a logic circuit that transfers the input states to the output states when signalled, the output thereafter remaining insensitive to changes in input status until signalled again

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verb

1. to fasten, fit, or be fitted with or as if with a latch

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• relatch
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• latches
  plural

Etymology

Origin of latch

First recorded before 950; Middle English lacchen, Old English lǣccan “to take hold of, catch, seize”; akin to Greek lázesthai “to take”

Explanation

When you unlock your front door, you open the latch. A latch is a fastener or lock that you open with a key. A latch can usually be opened with a key or by turning a knob or lifting a hook or bar. You can also use the word latch as a verb, like when your mom reminds you to latch the front and back doors before you leave for school in the morning. In some places, the word "latch-key" is used to mean "key." The root of latch is the Germanic word læccan, "to grasp or seize."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

latch latches

The next year, in 2013, cancer researcher Kevan Shokat found a pocket on the RAS protein that a drug could latch on to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Don’t try and latch on to whatever the success is, and then complain that it didn’t work for you when that wasn’t your forte to begin with.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

For example, engineers do not have a clear picture of what the back of the telescope actually looks like -- even though that's where the robot must latch on.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

Maybe something happens during the game and he’ll latch onto the sport and tournament for good.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

After a deep breath and a wish with all of my body that no one is in the yard, I carefully lift the latch to the door in the tall wooden fence.

From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na

Everything from seat-belt buckle mechanisms to door latches could change how passengers might evacuate in an emergency, or how they are protected in a crash, Federal Aviation Administration chief Bryan Bedford told reporters last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Tesla’s vehicles primarily use electronic door latches that are opened by pressing a button.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 24, 2025

The system latches onto that speaker's voice and continues to play it back to the listener, even as the pair moves around.

From Science Daily ● May 24, 2024

He latches onto a careless back-header by Tyler Bindon and takes the ball around Reading keeper Joel Pereira, but Bindon atones by getting back to block on the line.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2024

I try to open my window, but the little latches won’t move.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson