thatch
1 Americannoun
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Also a material, as straw, rushes, leaves, or the like, used to cover roofs, grain stacks, etc.
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a covering of such a material.
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the leaves of various palms that are used for thatching.
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something resembling thatch on a roof, especially thick hair covering the head.
a thatch of unruly red hair.
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Horticulture. a tightly bound layer of dead grass, including leaves, stems, and roots, that builds up on the soil surface at the base of the living grass of a lawn.
verb (used with object)
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to cover with or as if with thatch.
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Horticulture. to remove thatch from (a lawn); dethatch.
noun
noun
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Also called: thatching. a roofing material that consists of straw, reed, etc
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a roof made of such a material
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anything resembling this, such as the hair of the head
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Also called: thatch palm. any of various palms with leaves suitable for thatching
verb
Other Word Forms
- rethatch verb (used with object)
- thatcher noun
- thatchless adjective
- thatchy adjective
Etymology
Origin of thatch
before 900; (v.) Middle English thacchen, variant (with a from thak > dial. thack ) of thecchen, Old English theccan to cover, hide; cognate with Dutch dekken ( deck ), German decken, Old Norse thekja; (noun) Middle English thacche, variant (with ch from the v.) of thak
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Surrounded by floodwaters, their hamlet of thatch and mud homes had been battling a massive outbreak of cholera, a deadly disease spread by poor sanitation.
From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025
The frequent cutting also reduces thatch buildup and creates healthier, thicker grass, while minimizing the use of pesticides.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025
The carrots and daikon are on the sweet side, contrasting nicely with the copious amounts of sliced jalapeño and a heavy thatch of cilantro.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 6, 2024
A second pass occurs in the later, dry season to remove what’s known as thatch from the ground.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2023
Large families lived in small, crude lean-tos with dirt floors and roofs made of banana bark thatch, often patched with rags to stop leaks during the rainy season.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
