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

With the likes of Hillary Clinton, Arianna Huffington, Nick Jonas, and Priyanka Chopra descended on Udaipur in Rajasthan for multi-day event, the entertainment needed to be top notch. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Beyoncé’s Performance Style at Isha Ambani’s Wedding Was a Celebration of Indian Couture," 10 Dec. 2018 It's been really exciting to play shows here in the summer, when people are out and about and the energy is top-notch. — Andrea Park, Teen Vogue, "Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas Make Red Carpet Debut as a Couple," 3 Oct. 2018 It's been really exciting to play shows here in the summer, when people are out and about and the energy is top-notch. — Andrea Park, Glamour, "Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas Just Made Their Red Carpet Debut as a Couple," 3 Oct. 2018 There’s many huge, iconic rappers who aren’t emcees or their lyrical quality wasn’t top notch. — Billboard, "Chingy Reflects on Debut Album 'Jackpot' 15 Years Later: 'In My Eyes I Made History'," 12 July 2018 Other credits are top-notch, particularly the tricky editing by Leo Catozzo. — James Powers, The Hollywood Reporter, "'8 ½': THR's 1963 Review," 26 June 2018 Teigen is the queen of Twitter, and her sports analysis is top-notch. — Michelle R. Martinelli, For The Win, "Chrissy Teigen and Ducks goalie Ryan Miller poke fun at their faux Twitter feud," 22 June 2018 Size plays a big part in what makes Mark Redman special as a recruit, Hettig said, but his work ethic also is top notch. — Matt Szabo, latimes.com, "CdM’s Mark Redman becomes elite football prospect," 22 June 2018 Although the shop’s good tend to be a bit on the pricey side, the merchandise is top notch. — Michelle Newman, San Antonio Express-News, "Where to eat, shop and sleep in Comfort," 11 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite all fell a fifth straight trading session Friday, notching their longest losing streaks since at least November. ... — Michael Wursthorn, WSJ, "U.S. Stocks Post Weekly Decline," 8 Mar. 2019 Tuesday's judgment was issued the same day that Trump notched a victory in securing the Supreme Court's endorsement of his authority to ban travelers from numerous majority-Muslim countries. — Anchorage Daily News, "Federal judge bars separation of migrant children, orders family reunification," 27 June 2018 European banks notched up some rare good news last year—their share of global profits grew from 13% to 20%. — The Economist, "World’s biggest banks," 12 July 2018 Then after three straight singles scored another run, Liriano notched his second strikeout. — Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers Francisco Liriano struggles in rehab start for Toledo," 17 June 2018 Mikey Kane and Matt Odom each drove in runs with John Politis notching a double and a run and Will Schmidt added a clutch diving catch in the third inning. — Staff Reports, latimes.com, "Sports Roundup: Beer, Crescenta Valley baseball rolling right along in league," 2 May 2018 Bogdanovic led the way behind Oladipo with 20 points; Joseph chipped in 16 and five assists; and Turner notched a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Pacers bounce back to split trip, but there's more to do," 4 Mar. 2018 Machado notched her first-career double-double in the win, totaling 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. — Bailey Arredondo, star-telegram, "UTA men, women make quick work of visiting Georgia Southern | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 22 Feb. 2018 Ray Spalding notched his ninth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds to go with two steals and one block. — Jeff Greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville basketball falls in frenetic home loss to North Carolina," 17 Feb. 2018

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.