notch

noun

\ ˈnäch

Definition of notch

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a V-shaped indentation

b : a slit made to serve as a record

c : a rounded indentation cut into the pages of a book on the edge opposite the spine

2 : a deep close pass : gap

3 : degree, step

notch

verb

notched; notching; notches

Definition of notch (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to cut or make a notch in

2a : to mark or record by a notch

b : score, achieve —sometimes used with up

Other Words from notch Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about notch

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Did You Know?

Noun

Occasionally, you might hear a child ask for a "napple," as in "I would like a napple," mistaking the phrase "an apple" for "a napple." A similar error is believed to be behind notch, which may have resulted from a misdivision of "an otch." (Otch is a noun that is assumed to have existed in earlier English as a borrowing of Middle French oche, meaning "an incision made to keep a record.") Notch would not be alone in developing from such a mistake. The words newt and nickname were formed, respectively, from misdivisions of "an ewte" and "an ekename." Going in the other direction, umpire first appears in Middle English as oumpere, a mistaken rendering of "a noumpere."

Examples of notch in a Sentence

Noun

Cut small notches at the corners of the fabric. The tool has a notch for prying out nails. The town is on the other side of the notch. They turned the volume up several notches.

Verb

Notch the ends so that they fit together. He notched his fifth victory this year.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

That notch design was not very popular or good-looking. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "In renders, the Pixel 4 trades a giant notch for a giant forehead," 8 July 2019 But now Oppo is showing off what could be the holy grail of notch killers: an under-screen camera. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Oppo announces the ultimate notch killer: an under-screen selfie cam," 26 June 2019 Fitch, a credit-rating agency, cut the bank’s rating to two notches above junk. — The Economist, "Can Germany’s biggest lender survive on its own?," 21 June 2019 Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children dropped two notches in the Cardiology & Heart Surgery category, to 38th place. — Naseem S. Miller, orlandosentinel.com, "2 children’s hospitals in Orlando make it to U.S. News rankings," 18 June 2019 The ratings firm lowered Pemex by two notches in January. — Anthony Harrup, WSJ, "Fitch Cuts Mexico’s Pemex to Below Investment Grade," 6 June 2019 But video conferencing software company Zoom Video Communications has taken things up a notch. — Michelle Cheng, Quartz, "The other big winner in Zoom’s IPO? The tired old quarterly earnings call," 24 June 2019 Above all, that's what summer is — a time when the fun is cranked up a notch. — Kaitlin Reilly, refinery29.com, "Movies That Embody Summer For When You Need To Beat The Heat," 20 June 2019 With the top 3 on the Japan Hot 100 all selling over 100,000 CDs this week, the songs in the top 10 that depend on the digital metrics all dropped a few notches. — Billboard Japan, Billboard, "NEWS Leads, Official HIGE DANdism Continues to Rule Streaming on Japan Hot 100," 20 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Here's what the United States needs to do to notch a victory over Chile. — SI.com, "3 Things the USWNT Need to Do to Make Sure They Beat Chile on Sunday," 16 June 2019 That worries financial firms and some Republican lawmakers, who fear the window for a regulatory rollback could be narrow, especially if Democrats notch pivotal electoral victories in 2020. ... — Andrew Ackerman And Gabriel T. Rubin, WSJ, "Rewrite of Bank Rules Advances Slowly, Frustrating Republicans," 10 June 2019 But Democrats – propelled by a rejection of Trumpism in the nation’s suburbs, and from women and minority voters especially – notched victories in areas that just two years ago helped send Trump to the White House. — Isaac Stanley-becker, The Seattle Times, "Republicans keep control of the Senate; Democrats claim House majority," 7 Nov. 2018 The organization sued the city of Nashville over its home-sharing ordinances and notched a narrow legal victory when a judge ruled the city’s ordinance was overly vague. — Colin Lecher, The Verge, "How conservative ‘property rights’ groups are battling cites’ Airbnb rules," 14 Aug. 2018 Her decision to plead guilty to one felony count allows the government both to avoid a complex trial that had been scheduled for October and to notch a victory in the Trump administration’s aggressive pursuit of leakers. — New York Times, "Reality Winner, N.S.A. Contractor Accused in Leak, Pleads Guilty," 26 June 2018 In a stunningly quick recovery from that debacle, McIlroy notched a runaway victory in the U.S. Open only two months later. — Tod Leonard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "It's a Ryder Cup rematch for Reed, McIlroy in Masters," 7 Apr. 2018 But on Thursday, the pitcher notched the most important victory of all: winning the approval of the internet. — Michael Katz, idahostatesman, "Bald eagle landing on pitcher is the most American moment ever, minus the Canadian. | Idaho Statesman," 6 Apr. 2018 When the game show phenom was finally taken down on June 3 after a historic run, his losing episode reportedly notched 14.5 million same-day viewers, the most since previous Jeopardy! — Rachel Yang, EW.com, "James Holzhauer's Jeopardy! defeat was the show's most-watched episode in 15 years," 19 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'notch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.