1
a
: a rough drawing representing the chief features of an object or scene and often made as a preliminary study
b
: a tentative draft (as for a literary work)
2
: a brief description (as of a person) or outline
3
a
: a short literary composition somewhat resembling the short story and the essay but intentionally slight in treatment, discursive in style, and familiar in tone
b
: a short instrumental composition usually for piano
c
: a slight theatrical piece having a single scene
especially
: a comic variety act
sketched; sketching; sketches
: to make a sketch, rough draft, or outline of
: to draw or paint a sketch
sketcher
noun
Synonyms
Examples of sketch in a Sentence
Noun
He made a sketch of his house.
He wrote up a sketch of the plot.
There is a biographical sketch of the author on the book's back cover.
Verb
He sketched the trees outside his window.
He likes to sit outside and sketch.
She sketched the plan for us.
Recent Examples on the Web
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2024
Its sketch of the institution’s fabled history turns out to be merely the backstory to a peculiar quest of Redmon’s.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
The long-running sketch comedy show, currently in its 49th season, broadcasts live every Saturday night on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET..
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Later in the episode, Samberg reflected on his own time in various SNL sketches that required him to hang upside down from the rafters.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
The actress and comedian returned to Studio 8H on April 6, marking her fifth time hosting the long-running sketch comedy show.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 7 Apr. 2024
Wiig could have leaned on any number of her classic characters for more sketches, but for the most part, these were new, hilarious creations.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
The Canadian show, airing between 1976 and 1984, featured various sketches that were presented as programming on the TV station/network of the fictional town of Melonville.
—Variety, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Kenan Thompson also appears in the sketch as a halal cart owner struggling to resist the delicious smell of his own product.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 31 Mar. 2024
Diane Brady, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Skyler Ayres, a sixth-grader, busily sketched the roots of a great oak.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Noting the backdrop of the existing regulatory review function in place at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), GAO sketched options for creating a new office, joint committee, commission, or advisory committee in Congress.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Try your hand at sketching birds as a way of deepening your observation skills.
—Safak Timur Ivor Prickett, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The improvements were sketched out in a preliminary report for the Silicon Valley office market in the January-through-March first quarter of 2024 that CBRE, a commercial real estate firm, provided to this news organization.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
To sketch the story of the weakening grip of native plant life on Rapa Nui as a predictable story of human arrogance intersecting with a small, remote and evolutionarily vulnerable spit of land is tempting, but the tale is more nuanced than that.
—Daniel Lewis, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Home sales have slowed, leaving fewer homebuyers sketching out their dream kitchens.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024
Women shepherded children to a folding table where a face painter sketched Spider-Man masks and Palestinian flags on their cheeks.
—Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Chris Farley Show takes its name from a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2024
Its sketch of the institution’s fabled history turns out to be merely the backstory to a peculiar quest of Redmon’s.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
The long-running sketch comedy show, currently in its 49th season, broadcasts live every Saturday night on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET..
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Later in the episode, Samberg reflected on his own time in various SNL sketches that required him to hang upside down from the rafters.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
The actress and comedian returned to Studio 8H on April 6, marking her fifth time hosting the long-running sketch comedy show.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 7 Apr. 2024
Wiig could have leaned on any number of her classic characters for more sketches, but for the most part, these were new, hilarious creations.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
The Canadian show, airing between 1976 and 1984, featured various sketches that were presented as programming on the TV station/network of the fictional town of Melonville.
—Variety, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Kenan Thompson also appears in the sketch as a halal cart owner struggling to resist the delicious smell of his own product.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 31 Mar. 2024
Verb
At our Brainstorm Design conference in Macau a few months ago, an architect sketched a few lines and had an AI tool turn them into a complex building design—albeit one geared more towards beauty than structural integrity.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
Skyler Ayres, a sixth-grader, busily sketched the roots of a great oak.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Noting the backdrop of the existing regulatory review function in place at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), GAO sketched options for creating a new office, joint committee, commission, or advisory committee in Congress.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Try your hand at sketching birds as a way of deepening your observation skills.
—Safak Timur Ivor Prickett, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The improvements were sketched out in a preliminary report for the Silicon Valley office market in the January-through-March first quarter of 2024 that CBRE, a commercial real estate firm, provided to this news organization.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
To sketch the story of the weakening grip of native plant life on Rapa Nui as a predictable story of human arrogance intersecting with a small, remote and evolutionarily vulnerable spit of land is tempting, but the tale is more nuanced than that.
—Daniel Lewis, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Home sales have slowed, leaving fewer homebuyers sketching out their dream kitchens.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024
Women shepherded children to a folding table where a face painter sketched Spider-Man masks and Palestinian flags on their cheeks.
—Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sketch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Dutch schets, from Italian schizzo, literally, splash, from schizzare to splash, of imitative origin
First Known Use
Noun
1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1694, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Phrases Containing sketch
Articles Related to sketch
Dictionary Entries Near sketch
Cite this Entry
“Sketch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sketch. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
sketch
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a rough drawing representing the chief features of an object or scene
b
: a rough draft (as of a story)
2
: a brief description or outline
3
: a short comedy piece
sketch
2 of 2 verb1
: to make a sketch, rough draft, or outline of
2
: to draw or paint a sketch
sketcher
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on sketch
Nglish: Translation of sketch for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of sketch for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sketch
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