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
The stout man sings, the young man plays, and thunders of applause, and various fresh orders for kidneys and strong ale, and welch rabbits and cold-without, reward their exertions.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 53, No. 329, March, 1843 by Various
Welch took out his pen, scribbled a note and handed it to Seinfeld.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
The decisive, 19-yard touchdown was delivered by running back Semaj Welch with 1:10 left to give Inglewood the lead for good.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
"This is a little bit of intentional pageantry to talk up the positive vibes of the summit," Jennifer Welch, chief economic analyst for Bloomberg Economics, told the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Coach Harry Welch, on his way to a Hall of Fame career, orchestrated everything with a little help and belief from his players.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
I wondered if he was remembering how he, too, had left Welch full of vinegar at age seventeen and just as convinced as I was now that he’d never return.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
"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 Beatrice Harraden
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
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
Because Germany welched on Austria's debts after Anschluss, there was some talk in Washington last week of confiscating Czech gold and dollar balances in the U. S., said to total $20,000,000.
From Time Magazine Archive
But, as you say, a grub-stake's a grub-stake, an' no time limit on it, an' no one ever said Jim McBride ever welched on a bargain, neither.
From Snowdrift A Story of the Land of the Strong Cold by James B. (James Beardsley) Hendryx
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
Some womanly, though welching, intuition led the bride to lock her door.
From We Can't Have Everything by Rupert Hughes
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 B. M. Bower
"I don't know—I'll have to think—if you are the legal owner——" "You're welching," he told her amiably.
From A Daughter of the Dons A Story of New Mexico Today by William MacLeod Raine
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