ditch

plural ditches

1. A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for irrigation or drainage.

   The truck careered off the road into a ditch.

   2 more examples

   Digging ditches has long been considered one of the most demanding forms of manual labor.

   Ditches continued to be employed as the sole defensive measure at many sites even after wall building began to emerge. For example, an immense ditch varying between 15 and 20 meters in width and marked by depths of 2.5 to 3.8 meters has recently been discovered in Hubei near Sui-chou.

   2011, Ralph D. Sawyer, Ancient Chinese Warfare, Basic Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 30

2. IrelandA raised bank of earth and the hedgerow on top.

   You flung a ditch on my vision Of beauty, love and truth. O stony grey soil of Monaghan You burgled my bank of youth!

   c. 1947, Patrick Kavanagh, “Stony Grey Soil”, Poetry Selections, in Ireland Study Abroad, University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2021, page 1

   1 more example

   The original ditches were created by digging trenches, as boundaries and/or irrigation. But to the English, the ditch is the trench. Whereas in Ireland, the ditch is the raised bank of earth and the hedgerow on top. (As for the trench, where I come from that’s a sheugh).

   2013 October 31, Frank McNally, “When Anglophone lines get crossed”, in The Irish Times, Dublin: Irish Times Trust, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2021

present singular third person ditches · participle present ditching · participle past ditched · past ditched

1. transitiveTo discard or abandon; to stop associating with (someone).

   Why did you ditch your last boyfriend? He was so nice to you.

   2 more examples

   Once the sun came out we ditched our rain-gear and started a campfire.

   I wanted to see Phil. I didn't. Mom didn't want to drive in this bad weather. I started to cry. Phil probably thinks I'm ditching him. I want to see him sooo bad.

   1965 January 22, Lou Sullivan, Diary

   Synonyms: abandon, desert, discard, dump, jettison, leave, lose, forsake · Antonyms: stand by, stick by

   1. ambitransitivetransitiveaeronauticsTo deliberately crash-land an airplane on water.

      When the second engine failed, the pilot was forced to ditch; their last location was just south of the Azores.

      Synonyms: abandon, desert, discard, dump, jettison, leave, lose, forsake · Antonyms: stand by, stick by

2. ambitransitiveTo deliberately not attend classes; to play hookey.

   The truant officer caught Louise ditching with her friends, and her parents were forced to pay a fine.

   1 more example

   "No, instead, it just had enough power to transform me, overload, and force me to wait to change back! I had to ditch school!"

   2005 December 2, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, Dec 2, 2005

3. intransitiveTo dig ditches.

   Enclosure led to fuller winter employment in hedging and ditching.

   1. intransitivetransitiveTo dig ditches around.

      The soldiers ditched the tent to prevent flooding.

4. transitiveTo throw into a ditch.

   The engine was ditched and turned on its side.

present singular third person ditches · participle present ditching · participle past ditched · past ditched

1. alternativeAlternative form of deech.

plural ditches

1. alternativeuncountableusuallyAlternative form of deech.

1. derogatoryobsoleteslangThe city of Calcutta.