Ditch: meaning, definitions and examples

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ditch

[ dɪtʃ ]

Noun / Verb

^{Context #1 | Noun}

in agriculture

A long narrow trench or furrow dug in the ground, typically used for drainage or irrigation.

Synonyms

channel, trench.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
ditch	Often used to describe a narrow passage dug into the ground, usually next to a road or field, for drainage or irrigation. The car skidded off the road and ended up in a ditch Farmers built ditches to help water their crops
trench	Refers to a deep, narrow excavation, often associated with military defense or major construction projects. Soldiers took cover in the trenches during the battle Workers dug a trench to lay down the new gas pipeline
channel	Used to describe a wider passage for water, often natural, but it can also refer to man-made structures to control water flow or route information. They dug a channel to redirect the river water to the reservoir The TV channel switched to a news bulletin

Word

Description / Examples

ditch

Often used to describe a narrow passage dug into the ground, usually next to a road or field, for drainage or irrigation.

The car skidded off the road and ended up in a ditch
Farmers built ditches to help water their crops

trench

Refers to a deep, narrow excavation, often associated with military defense or major construction projects.

Soldiers took cover in the trenches during the battle
Workers dug a trench to lay down the new gas pipeline

channel

Used to describe a wider passage for water, often natural, but it can also refer to man-made structures to control water flow or route information.

They dug a channel to redirect the river water to the reservoir
The TV channel switched to a news bulletin

Examples of usage

Farmers dug ditches to drain excess water from their fields.
The irrigation system was connected to a network of ditches.

^{Context #2 | Noun}

informal

A hole or depression, especially in a road.

Synonyms

hole, pit.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
ditch	To abandon or leave someone or something, often suddenly and without explanation. It can carry a negative connotation. She decided to ditch her old car and buy a new one. He ditched his friends at the party without saying goodbye.
hole	A hollow space or opening in something, usually created by digging or by natural forces. It can be small or large. He dug a small hole to plant the tree. There was a hole in the roof that needed to be fixed.
pit	A large, deep hole, typically used for mining or storing something. It often implies a considerable depth. The workers dug a pit to extract the minerals. They filled the pit with water to create a small pond.

Word

Description / Examples

ditch

To abandon or leave someone or something, often suddenly and without explanation. It can carry a negative connotation.

She decided to ditch her old car and buy a new one.
He ditched his friends at the party without saying goodbye.

hole

A hollow space or opening in something, usually created by digging or by natural forces. It can be small or large.

He dug a small hole to plant the tree.
There was a hole in the roof that needed to be fixed.

pit

A large, deep hole, typically used for mining or storing something. It often implies a considerable depth.

The workers dug a pit to extract the minerals.
They filled the pit with water to create a small pond.

Examples of usage

Watch out for that ditch in the road.
The car swerved to avoid hitting a deep ditch.

^{Context #3 | Verb}

informal

To get rid of or give up something or someone.

Synonyms

abandon, discard.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
ditch	This word is often used when you leave something or someone suddenly or in an informal way. It can have a slightly negative connotation. He ditched his old friends when he moved to a new city. Let's ditch this boring meeting and grab a coffee.
abandon	Used in more serious situations when you leave something or someone permanently, often without intending to return. It carries a strong negative connotation. Many people had to abandon their homes after the flood. She felt abandoned by her family when she needed them the most.
discard	Used when you throw something away because it is no longer needed or wanted. This word is often used for objects rather than people. She decided to discard her old clothes to make room for new ones. You should discard the expired milk in the fridge.

Word

Description / Examples

ditch

This word is often used when you leave something or someone suddenly or in an informal way. It can have a slightly negative connotation.

He ditched his old friends when he moved to a new city.
Let's ditch this boring meeting and grab a coffee.

abandon

Used in more serious situations when you leave something or someone permanently, often without intending to return. It carries a strong negative connotation.

Many people had to abandon their homes after the flood.
She felt abandoned by her family when she needed them the most.

discard

Used when you throw something away because it is no longer needed or wanted. This word is often used for objects rather than people.

She decided to discard her old clothes to make room for new ones.
You should discard the expired milk in the fridge.

Examples of usage

He ditched his old car and bought a new one.
She ditched her toxic friend and felt much better.

Translations

Translations of the word "ditch" in other languages:

🇵🇹 vala

fosso
trincheira
abandonar

🇮🇳 खाई

नाला
छोड़ देना

🇩🇪 Graben

Straßengraben
stehenlassen

🇮🇩 parit

selokan
meninggalkan

🇺🇦 рів

канава
залишити

🇵🇱 rów

kanał
porzucić

🇯🇵 溝 (みぞ)

🇫🇷 fossé

tranchée
abandonner

🇪🇸 zanja

cuneta
abandonar

🇹🇷 hendek

kanal
terk etmek

🇰🇷 도랑

배수로
버리다

🇸🇦 خندق

قناة
تخلى

🇨🇿 příkop

strouha
opustit

🇸🇰 priekopa

kanál
opustiť

🇨🇳 沟 (gōu)

🇸🇮 jarek

kanal
zapustiti

🇮🇸 skurður

skurður
yfirgefa

🇰🇿 ор

арық
тастау

🇬🇪 ხევი

არხი
მიტოვება

🇦🇿 xəndək

kanal
tərk etmək

🇲🇽 zanja

cuneta
abandonar

Etymology

The word 'ditch' has Old English origins, coming from the word 'dic', which meant a trench or ditch. Originally used to refer to a trench dug as a fortification or boundary, over time the word expanded to include drainage ditches and later informal usage to describe a hole or depression. The verb form of 'ditch' emerged in the 19th century, with the informal meaning of getting rid of something or someone. Today, 'ditch' is commonly used in both literal and figurative contexts.

Word Frequency Rank

At #7,177 in frequency, this word belongs to advanced vocabulary. It's less common than core vocabulary but important for sophisticated expression.

...
7174 spark
7175 posture
7176 semantic
7177 ditch
7178 ambiguous
7179 matches
7180 diary
...