/ dɪtʃ; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a long channel dug at the side of a field or road, to hold or take away water
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] ( informal ) to get rid of sth/sb because you no longer want or need it/them :
The new road building programme has been ditched.
He ditched his girlfriend.
2.
[ vn , v ] if a pilot ditches an aircraft, or if it ditches , it lands in the sea in an emergency
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English dīc , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dijk ditch, dyke and German Teich pond, pool, also to dyke , in its geographical sense.