hatchway
Americannoun
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an opening in the deck of a vessel to provide access below
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a similar opening in a wall, floor, ceiling, or roof, usually fitted with a lid or door
Etymology
Origin of hatchway
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.
It was nonetheless immortalized in Lightfoot’s lyrics: “At 7 p.m., a main hatchway caved in, he said, ‘Fellas, it’s been good to know ya.’
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2025
Gibbon nods and puts more of his strange marks on the wall by the hatchway.
From Nature ● Apr. 2, 2019
We entered frosty courts by a secret hatchway and waved wooden racquets in majestic arcs, a ceremony akin to polar explorers chiselling out ice caves.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 18, 2016
When a coffin was lowered down the hatchway to the tones of a funeral dirge, the crematorium staff would open the lid of the coffin and toss the body onto a nearby table.
From Time Magazine Archive
As he emerged from the hatchway, the wind almost took him off his feet.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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.
