ditch

The word “ditch” means a long narrow trench dug in the ground, often for drainage. In plain terms, a dug trench, or (informally) to dump or abandon something.

“Ditch” is pronounced dihch (/dɪt͡ʃ/ in IPA).

Here is “ditch” used in a sentence: “The car skidded off the road and into a ditch.”

Words with a similar meaning to “ditch” include abandon, discard, dump, jettison, lose and shed.

Depending on how it is used, “ditch” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “ditch” comes from Old English. From Old English dīċ, "trench" or "moat" — the same Germanic root that gave us dike (its doublet, referring to the raised bank rather than the trench).

“Ditch” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Ditch” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a long narrow trench dug in the ground, often for drainage.

A ditch is a long, narrow trench dug in the ground, most often for draining water along roads and fields. A trench is a more general term for any long, narrow excavation, so ditches are typically shallow and made to carry water, while trenches can be deeper and dug for many purposes, such as pipes or defense.

Both are informal ways to say you have suddenly ended a relationship. "Ditch" stresses leaving or abandoning someone, sometimes abruptly, while "dump" focuses on breaking up with a partner; they overlap closely and are often interchangeable in casual speech.