latch

[ lach ]

/ lætʃ /

Save This Word!

noun

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.

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.

verb (used with object)

to close or fasten with a latch.

to attach (a breastfeeding baby) to the breast: You should know how to properly latch your newborn.

verb (used without object)

to close tightly so that the latch is secured: The door won't latch.

(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 Phrases

latch on,

to grab or hold on, as to an object or idea, especially tightly or tenaciously.
to include or add in; attach: If we latch the tax on, the bill will come to over $100.

latch onto, Informal.

to take possession of; obtain; get.
to acquire understanding of; comprehend.
to attach oneself to; join in with: The stray dog latched onto the children and wouldn't go home.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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”

OTHER WORDS FROM latch

re·latch, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use latch in a sentence

Pressurization exerts forces on any potential weak point, and that includes doors and cargo hold latches.
Why Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Must Have Died Instantaneously|Clive Irving|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When your hungry baby latches to your lactating breast, are you simply nursing your child or making a political statement?
Is Breast Milk Really Best?|Lizzie Crocker|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Message discipline: When he latches on to a topic, he is unstoppable, but he sometimes wanders too far.
Beware Ron Paul|Mark McKinnon|July 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
They were afraid of the noise they must make in turning the keys, withdrawing the bolts, and lifting the latches.
Digby Heathcote|W.H.G. Kingston

Before he can start to open a lock gate, he must first have released the miter-forcing machine that latches the gates.
The Panama Canal|Frederic Jennings Haskin
Figs. 197 and 198 show more complicated spring-latches but this latch is not so difficult to make as it may appear in the diagram.
Shelters, Shacks and Shanties|D.C. Beard
Here the H hinges have been retained and also the old-time latches.
Remodeled Farmhouses|Mary H. Northend
If I leave the latches down, that is due to the fact that I have no one to fear.
The Princess Elopes|Harold MacGrath

British Dictionary definitions for latch

latch

/ (lætʃ) /

noun

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

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

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

verb

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

Word Origin for latch

Old English læccan to seize, of Germanic origin; related to Greek lazesthai

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

latch

Origin of latch

OTHER WORDS FROM latch

Words related to latch

How to use latch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for latch

Word Origin for latch