hatching, matching, and dispatching

Verb (1)

hatch (third-person singular simple present hatches, present participle hatching, simple past and past participle hatched)

1. (transitive) To close with a hatch or hatches.
   • 'Twere not amiss to keep our door hatched.c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry...

Verb (2)

hatch (third-person singular simple present hatches, present participle hatching, simple past and past participle hatched)

1. (intransitive) To emerge from an egg.
   • These three chicks hatched yesterday morning.
2. (intransitive) To break open when a young animal emerges from it.
   • She was delighted when she heard the crackling sound of the eggs hatching.
3. (transitive) To incubate eggs; to cause to hatch.
   • I'm hatching this mysterious egg I found in the forest.
4. (transitive) To devise (a plot or scheme).
   • World domination was only one of the evil schemes he had hatched over the years.

   Synonyms:

   hatch up

Verb (3)

hatch (third-person singular simple present hatches, present participle hatching, simple past and past participle hatched)

1. (transitive) To shade an area of (a drawing, diagram, etc.) with fine parallel lines, or with lines which cross each other (crosshatch).
   • Those hatching strokes of the pencil.1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC

See all 23 meanings of hatch