ditch, n. & v.
--n.
1 a long narrow excavated channel esp. for drainage or to mark a boundary.
2 a watercourse, stream, etc.
--v.
1 intr. make or repair ditches (hedging and ditching).
2 tr. provide with ditches; drain.
3 tr. sl. leave in the lurch; abandon.
4 tr. colloq. a bring (an aircraft) down on the sea in an emergency. b drive (a vehicle) into a ditch.
5 intr. colloq. (of an aircraft) make a forced landing on the sea.
6 tr. sl. defeat; frustrate.
7 tr. US derail (a train).

Idiom

ditch-water stagnant water in a ditch. dull as ditch-water extremely dull. last ditch a place of final desperate defence (fight to the last ditch).

Derivative

ditcher n.

Etymology

OE dic, of unkn. orig.: cf. DIKE(1)

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THESAURUS

ditch

abandon, abri, abysm, abyss, adit, alight, approach trench, aqueduct, arch dam, arroyo, backstop, bamboo curtain, bank, bar, barrage, barrier, bear-trap dam, beaver dam, beg, boom, box canyon, breach, break, breakwater, breastwork, brick wall, buffer, bulkhead, bulwark, bunker, bury, cache, canal, canalization, canalize, canyon, carve, cashier, cast, cast aside, cast away, cast off, cavity, chamfer, channel, chap, chasm, check, chimney, chink, chisel, chuck, circumvent, cleave, cleft, cleuch, clough, cofferdam, col, come down, come in, communication trench, conceal, conduit, corrugate, coulee, couloir, countermine, coupure, course, cover, crack, cranny, crash-land, crevasse, crevice, crimp, cut, cut apart, cwm, dado, dam, deep-six, defense, defile, dell, descend, dike, discard, dispose of, ditch, donga, double, double sap, downwind, draw, duct, dugout, dump, earthwork, egress, eighty-six, eliminate, elude, embankment, engrave, ensconce, entrance, entrenchment, escape, evade, excavation, exit, fault, fence, fire trench, fissure, flaw, flume, flute, flying sap, fortified tunnel, fosse, foxhole, fracture, furrow, gallery, gap, gape, gash, gate, get around, get away from, get out of, get quit of, get rid of, get shut of, give away, goffer, gorge, gouge, gravity dam, groin, groove, gulch, gulf, gully, gutter, ha-ha, hide, hole, hydraulic-fill dam, incise, incision, ingress, iron curtain, jam, jettison, jetty, jilt, joint, junk, kennel, kloof, land, leak, leaping weir, levee, level off, light, logjam, milldam, mine, moat, mole, mound, notch, nullah, occult, open, opening, overshoot, pancake, parallel, parapet, part with, pass, passage, passageway, pleat, plow, portcullis, rabbet, rampart, ravine, reject, remove, rent, rifle, rift, rime, rive, roadblock, rock-fill dam, rupture, rut, sap, scissure, score, scrap, scratch, screen, seam, seawall, secrete, settle down, shake, shake off, shuffle out of, shutter dam, skirt, slit, slit trench, slot, slough, split, stone wall, streak, striate, sunk fence, talk down, throw away, throw out, throw over, throw overboard, toss overboard, touch down, trench, trough, troughing, troughway, tunnel, upwind, valley, void, wadi, wall, way, weir, wicket dam, work, wrinkle

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ROGET THESAURUS

ditch

Defense

N defense, protection, guard, ward, shielding, propugnation, preservation, guardianship, area defense, site defense, self-defense, self-preservation, resistance, safeguard, balistraria, bunker, screen, camouflage, fortification, munition, muniment, trench, foxhole, bulwark, fosse, moat, ditch, entrenchment, intrenchment, kila, dike, dyke, parapet, sunk fence, embankment, mound, mole, bank, sandbag, revetment, earth work, field- work, fence, wall dead wall, contravallation, paling, palisade, haha, stockade, stoccado, laager, sangar, barrier, barricade, boom, portcullis, chevaux de frise, abatis, abattis, abbatis, vallum, circumvallation, battlement, rampart, scarp, escarp, counter-scarp, glacis, casemate, vallation, vanfos, buttress, abutment, shore, breastwork, banquette, curtain, mantlet, bastion, redan, ravelin, vauntmure, advance work, horn work, outwork, barbacan, barbican, redoubt, fort-elage, fort-alice, lines, loophole, machicolation, sally port, hold, stronghold, fastness, asylum, keep, donjon, dungeon, fortress, citadel, capitol, castle, tower of strength, tower of strength, fort, barracoon, pah, sconce, martello tower, peelhouse, blockhouse, rath, wooden walls, bulletproof vest, armored vest, buffer, corner stone, fender, apron, mask, gauntlet, thimble, carapace, armor, shield, buckler, aegis, breastplate, backplate, cowcatcher, face guard, scutum, cuirass, habergeon, mail, coat of mail, brigandine, hauberk, lorication, helmet, helm, bassinet, salade, heaume, morion, murrion, armet, cabaset, vizor, casquetel, siege cap, headpiece, casque, pickelhaube, vambrace, shako, bearskin, panoply, truncheon, garrison, picket, piquet, defender, protector, guardian, bodyguard, champion, knight-errant, Paladin, propugner, bulletproof window, hardened site, defending, defensive, mural, armed, armed at all points, armed cap-a-pie, armed to the teeth, panoplied, iron-plated, ironclad, loopholed, castellated, machicolated, casemated, defended, proof against, armored, ballproof, bulletproof, hardened, defensively, on the defense, on the defensive, in defense, at bay, pro aris et focis, Int, no surrender!, defense not defiance, Dieu defend le droit, fidei defensor, defender of the faith.

Inclosure

N inclosure, envelope, case, wrapper, girdle, pen, fold, pen fold, in fold, sheep fold, paddock, pound, corral, yard, net, seine net, wall, hedge, hedge row, espalier, fence, pale, paling, balustrade, rail, railing, quickset hedge, park paling, circumvallation, enceinte, ring fence, barrier, barricade, gate, gateway, bent, dingle, door, hatch, cordon, prison, dike, dyke, ditch, fosse, moat.

Furrow

N furrow, groove, rut, sulcus, scratch, streak, striae, crack, score, incision, slit, chamfer, fluting, corduroy road, cradle hole, channel, gutter, trench, ditch, dike, dyke, moat, fosse, trough, kennel, ravine, tajo, thank-ye-ma'am, furrowed, ribbed, striated, sulcated, fluted, canaliculated, bisulcous, bisulcate, bisulcated, canaliferous, trisulcate, corduroy, unisulcate, costate, rimiform.

Lake

N gulf, lake, land covered with water, gulf, gulph, bay, inlet, bight, estuary, arm of the sea, bayou, fiord, armlet, frith, firth, ostiary, mouth, lagune, lagoon, indraught, cove, creek, natural harbor, roads, strait, narrows, Euripus, sound, belt, gut, kyles, continental slope, continental shelf, lake, loch, lough, mere, tarn, plash, broad, pond, pool, lin, puddle, slab, well, artesian well, standing water, dead water, sheet of water, fish pond, mill pond, ditch, dike, dyke, dam, reservoir, alberca, barachois, hog wallow, lacustrine.

Conduit

N conduit, channel, duct, watercourse, race, head race, tail race, abito, aboideau, aboiteau, bito, acequia, acequiador, acequiamadre, arroyo, adit, aqueduct, canal, trough, gutter, pantile, flume, ingate, runner, lock-weir, tedge, vena, dike, main, gully, moat, ditch, drain, sewer, culvert, cloaca, sough, kennel, siphon, piscina, pipe, funnel, tunnel, water pipe, waste pipe, emunctory, gully hole, artery, aorta, pore, spout, scupper, adjutage, ajutage, hose, gargoyle, gurgoyle, penstock, weir, flood gate, water gate, sluice, lock, valve, rose, waterworks, pipeline, vascular.

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