Skip to main content
hatchway

hatchway

4 7.0
An opening in a floor or ship deck that lets people go between levels
  • noun
  • /ˈhæʧˌweɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : escotilla
  • They secured the hatchway with a heavy cover to prevent water from entering.
  • an open hatchway
  • the outer hatchway
  • the rear hatchway

Examples

  • On the far side of the galley, the agents fling open a hatchway and enter...

    Fiction book (1997)
  • He noticed a narrow hatchway that led into the storage area below deck.

  • The distant sound of the hatchway being opened gets their attention.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • - I was just examining this rear hatchway.

  • This hatchway should lead to the captain's quarters and, from there, to the strong room.

  • When the whistling ceased, a hatchway in the floor fell open.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Mason tumbles out of the open hatchway, down the stairs behind him.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • There are more hatchways and stairwells on the other side of this wall.

  • The team sets the stretcher onto a steel track protruding from a hatchway in the building wall.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The crew climbed down the hatchway to access the engine room of the ship.

Synonyms

opening
vshatchway
179 1.0

A space that lets people move through, for example a door

is the ship or floor access point often fitted with a cover
hatch
vshatchway
140 3.7

A cover that closes an opening on a car or boat

is the actual opening in floors or decks, not the covering
companionway
vshatchway
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A stair or ladder on a ship that people use to go between decks

is a simple opening in floors or decks, not a stair route
scuttle
vshatchway
  • Specialized
9.0

An opening with a cover that gives access between decks on a ship

is a general floor or deck opening often fitted with a cover
ladderway
vshatchway
  • Specialized
8.2

A vertical passage with a ladder for moving between levels in ships or buildings

is an opening in a floor or deck, not specifically a ladder shaft

How Big

gate
793 1.0
doorway
240 1.0
hatchway
  • Specialized
4 7.0
vent
155 2.7

Surface Forms

hatchway singular
hatchways plural

Morphology

hatchway = hatch + way (semi-transparent) = hatch + way

While the components 'hatch' and 'way' are clear, the specific meaning of an 'opening in the floor, roof, or a deck' is a specialized usage.

Etymology

Hatchway The word hatchway comes from hatch meaning 'door' and way meaning 'path'. So a hatchway is like a 'doorway', an opening in a floor, roof, or ship deck that lets people move between levels and is often covered by a hatch.