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• loach
  loach

  noun

  any of several slender European and Asian fishes of the family Cobitidae and related families, having several barbels around the mouth.
• Loach
  Loach

  noun

  Ken ( neth ). born 1936, British television and film director; his works for television include Cathy Come Home (1966) and his films include Kes (1970), Riff-Raff (1991), Bread and Roses (2000), The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006), and The Angels' Share (2012)

loach

American  

[lohch] / loʊtʃ /

noun

1. any of several slender European and Asian fishes of the family Cobitidae and related families, having several barbels around the mouth.

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Loach ¹ British  

/ ləʊtʃ /

noun

1. Ken ( neth ). born 1936, British television and film director; his works for television include Cathy Come Home (1966) and his films include Kes (1970), Riff-Raff (1991), Bread and Roses (2000), The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006), and The Angels' Share (2012)

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loach ² British  

/ ləʊtʃ /

noun

1. any carplike freshwater cyprinoid fish of the family Cobitidae, of Eurasia and Africa, having a long narrow body with barbels around the mouth

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Etymology

Origin of loach

1325–75; Middle English loche < Middle French

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loach Loach

The EA and Thames Water are investigating after dead European eels, sticklebacks, gudgeon and stone loach were discovered in the River Pool.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

After scrambling in the water for food, this coot eventually caught a loach.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2023

Federally endangered species particularly threatened by the presence of the bovines are the “southwest willow flycatcher, narrow-headed garter snake, Gila chub, loach minnow, and Spikedace,” according to a Forest Service memo.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 17, 2023

He compared his personality to that of a loach fish, a freshwater bottom feeder, and said he will “work and sweat to push down-to-earth politics.”

From BusinessWeek ● Sep. 1, 2011

The loach is used principally in Ireland as a trout bait, and the other two are of small account as hook-baits, though sticklebacks are a valuable form of food for trout in lakes and pools.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1 by Various

Fenton also scored more films for British director Ken Loach than any other composer.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

A landmark Ken Loach drama "Kes", in 1969, featured a boy's bond with a kestrel.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025

An air of karaoke hangs over the U.S. premiere of “I, Daniel Blake,” the dramatic adaptation by Dave Johns from the film directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2024

By doing so, it echoes the filmmaker Ken Loach, an influence on the game.

From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2024

When Miss Loach was not playing whist or bridge she never cared about having anyone in her house.

From The Secret Passage by Fergus Hume

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