ditch

American  

[dich] / dɪtʃ /

noun

1. a long, narrow excavation made in the ground by digging, as for draining or irrigating land; trench.

2. any open passage or trench, as a natural channel or waterway.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to dig a ditch or ditches in or around.

2. to derail (a train) or drive or force (an automobile, bus, etc.) into a ditch.

3. to crash-land on water and abandon (an airplane).

4. Slang.

   1. to get rid of.

      I ditched that old hat of yours.

   2. to escape from.

      He ditched the cops by driving down an alley.

   3. to absent oneself from (school or a class) without permission or an acceptable reason.

verb (used without object)

1. to dig a ditch.

2. (of an aircraft or its crew) to crash-land in water and abandon the sinking aircraft.

3. Slang. to be truant; play hooky.

ditch ¹ British  

/ 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. 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. a last resort or place of last defence

---

verb

1. to make a ditch or ditches in (a piece of ground)

2. (intr) to edge with a ditch

3. informal to crash or be crashed, esp deliberately, as to avoid more unpleasant circumstances

   he had to ditch the car

4. slang (tr) to abandon or discard

   to ditch a girlfriend

5. informal to land (an aircraft) on water in an emergency

6. slang (tr) to evade

   to ditch the police

Ditch ² British  

/ dɪtʃ /

noun

1. an informal name for the Tasman Sea

---

ditch Idioms  

1. see last-ditch effort.

---

Other Word Forms

• ditcher noun
• ditchless adjective

Etymology

Origin of ditch

before 900; 1940–45 ditch for def. 5, 1885–90 ditch for def. 6, 1955–60 ditch for def. 9; Middle English dich, Old English dīc; cognate with German Teich. See dike ¹

Example Sentences

The move laid bare a strategy that Silicon Valley has been perfecting for years: ditch the tech-sceptics of the traditional press, and build your own media.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

When rates are higher, investors tend to ditch the metal in favor of other assets, such as bonds, which offer steady income.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Our one peek into it comes when Darren phones Evy to pressure her to ditch her mom and come to a party.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

While that has been a major selling point of electric cars and hybrids for years, some consumers have been reluctant to ditch their gas guzzlers.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026

Shortly after there was a huge fire burning in the ditch.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• abandon
• discard
• dispose of
• dump
• forsake
• jettison
• junk
• scrap