welch
verb (used without object)
welch
1 American
[welch, welsh]
/ wɛltʃ, wɛlʃ /
verb (used without object)
Informal: Sometimes Offensive.
welches,
present (3rd person singular)
welched,
past participle, past
welching
present participle
Welch
2
American
[welch, welsh]
/ wɛltʃ, wɛlʃ /
noun
-
James, 1940–2003, U.S. poet and novelist.
-
Joseph Nye, 1890–1960, U.S. trial lawyer.
-
Robert, Jr., 1899–1985, U.S. candy manufacturer: founder of the John Birch Society 1958.
-
William Henry, 1850–1934, U.S. medical pathologist and educator.
Welch
1
British
/ wɛlʃ /
adjective
welch
2
British
/ wɛlʃ /
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
welchsimple
-
welchessimple
-
have welchedperfect
-
has welchedperfect
-
am welchingprogressive
-
are welchingprogressive
-
is welchingprogressive
-
have been welchingperfect progressive
-
has been welchingperfect progressive
Past
-
welchedsimple
-
had welchedperfect
-
was welchingprogressive
-
were welchingprogressive
-
had been welchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of welch
First recorded in 1855–60; variant of welsh ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
In Sarah Fritsche's blog the Cheese Professor, she explained the word "Welsh" was used as an insult in 1700s Britain, similar to how "welch" functioned as a pejorative.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2025
Its performance has been so abysmal that Maryland, the District of Columbia and other bay states have sued the EPA for allowing Pennsylvania, and also New York, to so badly welch on their commitments.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 24, 2021
When depression caused other Clevelanders to welch, Patron Severance raised his ante to $2,500,000 and Severance Hall was built.
From Time Magazine Archive
Because almost every peace treaty is so signed, a recognized principle of international law allows a nation to welch on its promises in the light of changed conditions.
From Time Magazine Archive
He can't welch because there's little to climb for beyond us; and even if he climbs, he can't ignore us.
From The Fighting Chance by Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)
He has appeared on NPR’s “Newsmakers,” podcasts hosted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Don Lemon, and the “I’ve Had It” podcast with hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
Florence Welch began working on Everybody Scream after experiencing a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy – and the experience casts a dark shadow over her sixth album.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“We see the same sorts of problems and concerns and misery that we’ve been seeing for the last 15 months,” said Welch, the Children’s Rights attorney.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Healy's mother, Loose Women star Denise Welch, later confirmed the engagement on a podcast.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
That boy, I knew, was a college student from Welch.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
"Anyone who welches on that will pay a very high price for years to come."
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2014
Morgan returns to his tourist fishing parties, only to have his fishing tackle lost overboard by a tourist, who at cruise-end welches on making the loss good.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Es ist das Fraulein welches das Piano gestimmt hat," answered the man, returning with unusual quickness to his account-book.
From Stories by English Authors: Germany (Selected by Scribners) by Harraden, Beatrice
My sister promised to get my father’s death certificate, then welched on that promise.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 4, 2025
He says they feel high-income countries have welched on the landmark deal made at the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2022
In Egypt, where brides are supposed to get dowries from their grooms, former Queen Narriman's mother charged that deposed King Farouk welched on his traditional Moslem obligation.
From Time Magazine Archive
The factory first agreed to supply them, then demanded a written declaration that the arms were exclusively for the Portuguese Army, finally welched on the entire order.
From Time Magazine Archive
He's welched on his associates and found it best to take to the tall timber.
From The Black Eagle Mystery by Bonner, Geraldine
Away from home, there is no question of the UK welching on its support for Ukraine - but there are no answers yet about how long the war will go on, or how it ends.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2022
Came Dec. 15 and the welching of European states on their war debts to the U. S. had almost ceased to be news.
From Time Magazine Archive
I know I'm no good at analysis, and that's as close as I can come to accounting for my welching, the third week out.
From The Range Dwellers by Bower, B. M.
Some womanly, though welching, intuition led the bride to lock her door.
From We Can't Have Everything by Hughes, Rupert
In the recent deflation in commodity values, there was widespread "welching" among business men who had theretofore been classed as reputable.
From The Constitution of the United States A Brief Study of the Genesis, Formulation and Political Philosophy of the Constitution by Beck, James M. (James Montgomery)
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.
