divot

noun

div·​ot ˈdi-vət 

plural divots

1

Scotland : a square of turf or sod

2

: a loose piece of turf (such as one dug from a golf fairway in making a shot)

The caddies, I was solemnly assured, never replace a divot; they just sprinkle grass seed from a pouch they carry. Well, this is a myth, for I repeatedly saw caddies replace divots in the course of the tournament, with the care of tile-setters.

—John Updike

3

: a small dent : a small depression or hollow

… soft pastries of yeasted dough with a divot in the center, traditionally filled with sweetened cheese or fruit …

—John T. Edge

Examples of divot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lowry, 38, was on the eighth hole at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., when his tee shot landed in a pre-established divot in the fairway, per Golf.com. —Charna Flam, People.com, 17 May 2025

The snake uses large eyes in daylight and heat-sensing divots along its lips in darkness to detect and ambush unlucky birds, bats and rodents that come too close, stopping their hearts with a muscular embrace. —Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025

The legs are accented with decorative divots, while the top’s scalloped edge lends a down home feel. —Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 28 Apr. 2025

There have been handles shaped like hockey pucks, and bats with divots on the far end, to cut some of the mass out. —Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier Scots devat, from Middle English (Scots) duvat

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for divot

• civet
• pivot
• privet
• rivet