scab

play

noun \ˈskab\

Definition of scab

1 : scabies of domestic animals
2 : a crust of hardened blood and serum over a wound
3a : a contemptible personb (1) : a worker who refuses to join a labor union (2) : a union member who refuses to strike or returns to work before a strike has ended (3) : a worker who accepts employment or replaces a union worker during a strike (4) : one who works for less than union wages or on nonunion terms
4 : any of various bacterial or fungus diseases of plants characterized by crustaceous spots; also : one of the spots

See scab defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of scab from the Web

Another indictor is that the shingles rash blisters before drying and forming scabs, says Dr. Watkins.

— korin miller, SELF, "WTF Is Shingles, Actually?," 17 July 2017
Her dad said her only complaint over the next couple of days was itching on her head, where the scab was.

— kwegyirba croffie, CNN, "Tick bite temporarily paralyzes 3-year-old," 22 May 2017
Who wants to see a play that yanks the scab from unhealed wounds?

— alexis soloski, New York Times, "‘All the President’s Men?’ Is a Starry C-Span Supercut with Bite," 12 May 2017
Frank Keller, of Keller Farms in Naperville, said his staff is always on the lookout for cedar apple rust and apple scab.

— alex keown, Naperville Sun, "Wet, cold weather could take toll on ornamental, fruit-bearing apple trees, expert says," 12 May 2017
Any time Bush succeeds, however, the Tufano’s scabs trickle crimson anew.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Matt Bush's Petco Park return includes baseball promise, family's pain," 8 May 2017
Emberton writes, soldiers would try to use the pus and scabs of their sick comrades to self-inoculate.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "Fearing a Smallpox Epidemic, Civil War Troops Tried to Self-Vaccinate," 1 May 2017
For some in Miami, the film may seem a bit like picking at a scab that hasn’t healed quite right.

— mimi whitefield, miamiherald, "Elián documentary revisits painful chapter in Cuban-American history," 27 Apr. 2017
If there were no scabs, the union believed its members would be understood as irreplaceable.

— gregory pardlo, The New Yorker, "The Cost of Defying the President," 12 Feb. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of scab

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish skabbr scab; akin to Old English sceabb scab, Latin scabere to scratch — more at shave

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

scab

verb

Definition of scab

scabbed

;

scabbing

intransitive verb
1 : to become covered with a scab
2 : to act as a scab

First Known Use of scab

1683

SCAB Defined for English Language Learners

scab

play

noun

Definition of scab for English Language Learners

: a hard covering of dried blood that forms over a wound to cover and protect it as it heals
: a worker who does not join a strike or who takes the place of another worker who is on strike

SCAB Defined for Kids

scab

play

noun \ˈskab\

Definition of scab for Students

: a crust mostly of hardened blood that forms over and protects a sore or wound as it heals

Medical Dictionary

scab

play

noun \ˈskab\

Medical Definition of scab

1: scabies of domestic animals
2: a hardened covering of dried secretions (as blood, plasma, or pus) that forms over a wound—called also crust

scabby

\-ē\play adjective

scabbier

;

est

scab

intransitive verb

Medical Definition of scab

scabbed

;

scabbing

: to become covered with a scab the wound scabbed over

Law Dictionary

scab

noun

Legal Definition of scab

1 : a worker who refuses to join a labor union
2 : a union member who refuses to strike or returns to work before a strike has ended
3 : a worker who accepts employment or replaces a union worker during a strike : strike breaker
4 : one who works for less than union wages or on nonunion terms