Scotch

1 of 7

adjective

ˈskäch 

1

: scottish

2

: inclined to frugality

Scotch

2 of 7

noun (1)

1

: scots

2

plural in construction : the people of Scotland

3

often not capitalized : whiskey distilled in Scotland especially from malted barley

called also Scotch whisky

Scotch

3 of 7

trademark

—used for adhesive tape

scotch

4 of 7

verb (1)

ˈskäch 

scotched; scotching; scotches

transitive verb

1

archaic : cut, gash, score

also : wound

we have scotched the snake, not killed it

—William Shakespeare

2

: to put an end to

scotched rumors of a military takeover

scotch

5 of 7

noun (2)

: a superficial cut : score

scotch

6 of 7

noun (3)

: a chock to prevent rolling or slipping

scotch

7 of 7

verb (2)

scotched; scotching; scotches

transitive verb

1

: to block with a chock

2

: hinder, thwart

Examples of Scotch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Hopes it gets scotched will have improved with Trump unveiling a trade deal with the UK – one of the nations that most takes advantage of American production needs. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 May 2025

Katy Perry is gearing up to launch her global Lifetimes tour in Mexico City on Wednesday night (April 23), but a pair of Guadalajara, Mexico shows originally scheduled for next week have been scotched due to issues with the venue. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2025

Noun

Another highlight from the scotch whisky world is the DCS Compendium Chapters 1-5, an extremely rare set of single malts produced at the Balvenie that was released in 2015 to commemorate the legacy of malt master David Stewart. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 10 June 2025

So, too, the bottle of scotch beside the globe and the pair of old typewriters on one or the other of which Lewis had once tapped out drafts of articles for the San Francisco Examiner and the Herald Tribune, magazine features for the Saturday Evening Post, and essays for Harper’s. —Donovan Hohn june 13, Literary Hub, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

contraction of Scottish

Verb (1)

Middle English scocchen to gash, from Anglo-French escocher, eschocher to pierce

Noun (3)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1639, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Scotch

• Scotch bonnet
• Scotch broom
• Scotch broth
• Scotch egg
• Scotch-Irish
• Scotch pine
• Scotch terrier
• Scotch verdict
• Scotch woodcock

Rhymes for Scotch

• boche
• botch
• brough
• crotch
• gotch
• notch
• rotch
• swatch
• watch
• butterscotch
• hopscotch
• stopwatch

Kids Definition

scotch

1 of 3 verb

ˈskäch

1

archaic : to injure so as to make temporarily harmless

2

: to stamp out : crush

especially : to put an end to by showing the untruth of

scotch a rumor

Scotch

2 of 3 adjective

ˈskäch 

: scottish entry 1

Scotch

3 of 3 noun

1

: scots

2

Scotch plural : the people of Scotland

3

often not capitalized : whiskey made in Scotland especially from barley