From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishditchditch1 /dɪtʃ/ ●●○ noun [countable] TASTTRa long narrow hole dug at the side of a field, road etc to hold or remove unwanted water → last-ditchCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + ditch deep/shallow The car had become stuck in a deep ditch.a drainage ditch (=for water to drain away into)They were digging a drainage ditch.an irrigation ditch (=taking water to fields, crops etc)The fields were separated by irrigation ditches.an open ditch (=not covered)The horse had to jump over an open ditch.a roadside ditch (=along the edge of a road)His clothes were found in a roadside ditch.verbsdig a ditchDitches were dug to prevent the river from flooding.a ditch runs along/down etc somethingA muddy ditch ran along the side of the field.
Examples from the Corpus
ditch• I fell asleep on the way home and drove my car into a ditch.• In fact a little further to the north-west this track is cut by a Bronze Age ditch.• He joined a 20-member crew, digging ditches and helping to put out hot spots.• It helps if you have had experience over different types of cross-country jumps - like ditches and water.• The rest of the gaggle were going home to dig more ditches and haul more stumps.• Public works inspectors may specialize in highways, structural steel, reinforced concrete, or ditches.• Q: Over how large an area were they in the ditch?• And where is the ditch filled with troops?• Consequently, the crops over the ditch have a different growth rate.ditchditch2 verb 1 [transitive] informalGET RID OF to stop having something because you no longer want it The government has ditched plans to privatise the prison.2 [transitive] informalRELATIONSHIP to end a romantic relationship with someone Meg and Neil were due to marry, but she ditched him.3 [transitive] American English spoken informal to not go to school, a class etc when you should SYN skip British English Did you ditch class today?4 [transitive] American English spoken informal to leave someone you are with in a place without telling them you are going5 [intransitive, transitive]TTA to land an aircraft in a controlled crash into water Two balloonists had to ditch during the race.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
ditch• My drives still scream off to the right like wounded Harrier jets preparing to ditch.• By luck one engine came to life just as the pilot had prepared the passengers to ditch.• Having ditched Belladonna, they produced an album burning with an intensity and fury rarely paralleled.• My mum, by the way, was ditched by my father before I was born.• The 24-year-old has now ditched her job.• If I were you, I'd ditch her.• He has also ditched his briefcase for a backpack to carry his dress shoes.• I'm mad at Charlene - she ditched me at the party last night.• He could have ditched or landed down south somewhere.• Let's ditch school and go to the park.• Investors ditched stocks that were performing badly.• Brumfeld apparently ditched the car near Texarkana and fled into the woods.• The pilot had no choice but to ditch the plane in the Atlantic Ocean.Origin ditch1 Old English dic 