hatch
verb/hætʃ/
/hætʃ/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they hatch | /hætʃ/ /hætʃ/ |
| he / she / it hatches | /ˈhætʃɪz/ /ˈhætʃɪz/ |
| past simple hatched | /hætʃt/ /hætʃt/ |
| past participle hatched | /hætʃt/ /hætʃt/ |
| -ing form hatching | /ˈhætʃɪŋ/ /ˈhætʃɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] hatch (out) (of a young bird, fish, insect, etc.) to come out of an egg
- Ten chicks hatched (out) this morning.
- the newly hatched chicks
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- [intransitive] hatch (out) (of an egg) to break open so that a young bird, fish, insect, etc. can come out
- The eggs are about to hatch.
- How long do the eggs take to hatch?
- The butterfly's eggs soon hatch into larvae.
Collocations The living worldThe living worldAnimals- animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)
- fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
- birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
- insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
- insects/bees/locusts swarm
- bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
- spiders spin/weave a web
- snakes/lizards shed their skins
- bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
- insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
- an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
- attract/find/choose a mate
- produce/release eggs/sperm
- lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
- inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
- mark/enter/defend (a) territory
- stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
- trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
- a seed germinates/sprouts
- leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
- flower buds swell/open
- a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something
- pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
- produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
- produce/bear fruit
- develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
- provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
- perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
- bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
- bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on something
- bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease
- bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)
- a virus enters/invades something/the body
- a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
- be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
- contain/carry/harbour bacteria/a virus
- kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
- [transitive] hatch something to make a young bird, fish, insect, etc. come out of an egg
- The female must find a warm place to hatch her eggs.
- [transitive] hatch something (up) to create a plan or an idea, especially in secret
- Have you been hatching up a deal with her?
- Rebel MPs are hatching a secret plot to oust the prime minister.
Word Originverb Middle English hacche; related to Swedish häcka and Danish hække.
Idioms
See hatch in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee hatch in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishdon’t count your chickens (before they are hatched)
- (saying) you should not be too confident that something will be successful, because something may still go wrongTopics Successc2
Check pronunciation:
hatch