Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A long narrow trench or furrow dug in the ground, as for irrigation, drainage, or a boundary line.
- intransitive verb To dig or make a long narrow trench or furrow in.
- intransitive verb To surround with a long narrow trench or furrow.
- intransitive verb To drive (a vehicle) into a long narrow trench, as one beside a road.
- intransitive verb To derail (a train).
- intransitive verb To get rid of; discard.
- intransitive verb To get away from (a person, especially a companion).
- intransitive verb To discontinue use of or association with.
- intransitive verb To skip (class or school).
- intransitive verb To crash-land (an aircraft) on water.
- intransitive verb To dig a ditch.
- intransitive verb To crash-land in water. Used of an aircraft or a pilot.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A trench made by digging; particularly, a trench for draining wet land, or for making a barrier to guard inclosures, or for preventing an enemy from approaching a town or a fortress.
- noun Any narrow open passage for water on the surface of the ground.
- To dig or make a ditch or ditches: as, ditching and delving; hedging and ditching.
- To dig a ditch or ditches in; drain by a ditch: as, to
ditch moist land. - To surround with a ditch.
- To throw or run into or as if into a ditch: as, to
ditch a railway-train.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To dig a ditch or ditches.
- noun A trench made in the earth by digging, particularly a trench for draining wet land, for guarding or fencing inclosures, or for preventing an approach to a town or fortress. In the latter sense, it is called also a
moat or afosse . - noun Any long, narrow receptacle for water on the surface of the earth.
- transitive verb To dig a ditch or ditches in; to drain by a ditch or ditches.
- transitive verb To surround with a ditch.
- transitive verb To throw into a ditch.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
trench ; a long, shallow indentation, as forirrigation ordrainage . - verb transitive To
discard orabandon . - verb intransitive To deliberately
crash-land anairplane on the sea. - verb intransitive To deliberately not
attend classes ; toplay hookey . - verb intransitive To dig ditches.
- verb transitive To dig ditches around.
- verb Alternative form of
deech . - noun Alternative form of
deech .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun any small natural waterway
- verb cut a trench in, as for drainage
- verb forsake
- verb sever all ties with, usually unceremoniously or irresponsibly
- verb make an emergency landing on water
- noun a long narrow excavation in the earth
- verb crash or crash-land
- verb throw away
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Your ditch is ahead of you come November and I can't wait until you fall in.
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On the west side of the ditch is a mixture of mobile homes and permanent structures.
One Of Many Jewels In The Valley: The Owner-Built Adobe Solar Casita johnny_mango 2005
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Now a ditch is a ditch, assumably muddy, and usually traversing uninteresting and monotonous landscapes.
Chapter 8 1913
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Now a ditch is a ditch, assumably muddy, and usually traversing uninteresting and monotonous landscapes.
Chapter 8 1911
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In other cases a sunk wall, forming a kind of ditch, is used, which is concealed by plantations; or iron hurdles are stuck in, and the line is varied occasionally.
The Lady's Country Companion: or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally Jane 1845
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These words coming from a senior leader that drove a bus into a ditch is now wanting to give commentary on driving a bus.
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He wiped his glasses the better to behold his beloved water, then seized a hoe and strode down the main ditch to open more laterals.
CHAPTER XIV 2010
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A five-inch stream of sparkling water splashed into the shallow main ditch of his irrigation system and flowed away across the orchard through many laterals.
CHAPTER XIV 2010
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The ditch is out of the question; in fact it's out of sight, long gone in a cactus clad ravine.
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The ditch is out of the question; in fact it's out of sight, long gone in a cactus clad ravine.
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