verb
ditch
To land an aircraft on water in an emergency.
The pilot ditches the plane at sea after its engine fails.
Etymology
The aircraft verb uses the word for a water-filled channel. It developed as an informal name for bringing an aircraft down onto water rather than a normal landing surface.
More examples
- The crew practices ditching in case of an emergency over water.
- They ditched the aircraft in the lake and escaped safely.
- If the engine fails, we may have to ditch offshore.
Forms
ditch · ditches · ditched · ditching
Similar words
- land
- Does not specify water or an emergency.
- crash-land
- Emphasizes a violent or uncontrolled landing, not necessarily on water.