latch

1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈlach 

latched; latching; latches

intransitive verb

1

: to lay hold with or as if with the hands or arms

—used with on or onto

2

: to associate oneself intimately and often artfully

—used with on or onto

latched onto a rich widow

latch

2 of 3

noun

: any of various devices in which mating mechanical parts engage to fasten but usually not to lock something:

a

: a fastener (as for a door) consisting essentially of a pivoted bar that falls into a notch

b

: a fastener (as for a door) in which a spring slides a bolt into a hole

also : night latch

latch

3 of 3

verb (2)

latched; latching; latches

transitive verb

: to make fast with or as if with a latch

Examples of latch in a Sentence

Noun

He lifted the latch and opened the gate.

I heard her key turn in the latch.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Across pre-season, Amorim’s men have looked to bait the press onto them when building in and around their penalty area, before looking to hit the ball into the channels for the wing-backs or the No 10s to latch onto. —Carl Anka, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025

But the serene moment takes an abrupt turn when the cat suddenly bites her hand and latches onto her arm. —Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025

Noun

Russell even traveled to Germany with a flashlight to find the car’s original latches in a garage, a trip that also turned up the original oil pan. —Stayton Bonner, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2025

Once door handles were no longer required to be in line with the latch, that freed engineers and designers from rigid placement and allowed experimentation in both how the handles looked and how they were used; as well as in where the latch was located. —New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English lachen, from Old English læccan; perhaps akin to Greek lambanein to take, seize

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1530, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing latch

• latch on
• latch on to
• night latch
• on the latch

Rhymes for latch

• bache
• batch
• brach
• catch
• hatch
• mache
• match
• patch
• rach
• scratch
• snatch
• tache

Kids Definition

latch

1 of 3 verb

ˈlach 

1

: to get hold

2

: to attach oneself

latch

2 of 3 noun

: a catch (as a spring bolt) that holds a door or gate closed

latch

3 of 3 verb

: to catch or fasten by means of a latch