1
: an isolated or protruding rock
2
: a steep rocky eminence : a bare place on the side of a mountain
1
: a mark remaining (as on the skin) after injured tissue has healed
2
: a mark left where something was previously attached : cicatrix sense 2
especially
: a mark left on a stem or branch where a leaf or fruit has separated
3
: a mark or indentation (as on furniture) resulting from damage or wear
4
: a lasting moral or emotional injury
one of his men had been killed … in a manner that left a scar upon his mind—
H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
scarred; scarring
Synonyms
Examples of scar in a Sentence
Verb
His arm was badly scarred after the accident.
The tragedy left her emotionally scarred.
Your shoes are scarring the floor.
The fence was scarred by rust.
Recent Examples on the WebKeith Gessen, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
Barbara Walters broke through every barrier and had the scars to show it, cutting a path that Connie Chung, Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, Norah O'Donnell and other remarkable women in broadcasting would follow.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Looking back a quarter of a century after the riots, Murray said the scars of the turbulence had never fully faded.
—Gayle Pollard-Terry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
As a result, scars and wrinkles are less noticeable, while skin tone and texture become more even.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
In the photos, many of the models have regal silver or gold metallic paint brushed across their surgical scars.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Instead of fading my acne scars, my sun habit just baked them into my skin for longer.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 21 Mar. 2024
Those scars lend further credence to the theory that the cohort indeed represents a new subtype because the parasitic fish only live in deep water.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
Tracing the scars of Louisville’s F4 twister, 50 years later
Louisville weather forecast
Monday night: There will likely be showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 a.m.
—Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 1 Apr. 2024
Ewa Krukowska, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, deeper needle depths are needed for surgery, injury, and acne scarring.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
The Comcast boss is watching an unceasing five-alarm fire rage at 30 Rock, scarring the reputation of NBC News and threatening to consume multiple parts of the Cesar Conde-run NBC Universal News Group.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Even though phone screens have gotten much better, the replacement process is scarring enough to make anyone just buy the dang screen protector.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024
Athill doesn’t treat her foibles and losses—of love, of money, of caste, of certainty—as traumas, events that would define her life as troubled and scarring.
—Hillary Kelly, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
For scarring that doesn't improve with these products, your healthcare provider may suggest other treatments, including dermal filler injections, dermabrasion, and laser therapy.
—Sheeren Jegtvig, Verywell Health, 15 Feb. 2024
Translation: Less trauma to the skin, no perceptible scarring, longer-lasting results (up to 15 years), and improved definition—that key indicator of success—throughout the jaw, cheeks, chin, and neck.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2024
Doing so is a surefire way to cause more inflammation and possibly acne scarring.
—Angela Palmer, Verywell Health, 17 Jan. 2024
Noun
The 9/11 attacks and the wars that followed fundamentally rearranged the American national-security apparatus, destabilized the Middle East, and left lasting scars on the American body politic.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
Barbara Walters broke through every barrier and had the scars to show it, cutting a path that Connie Chung, Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, Norah O'Donnell and other remarkable women in broadcasting would follow.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Looking back a quarter of a century after the riots, Murray said the scars of the turbulence had never fully faded.
—Gayle Pollard-Terry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
As a result, scars and wrinkles are less noticeable, while skin tone and texture become more even.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
In the photos, many of the models have regal silver or gold metallic paint brushed across their surgical scars.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Instead of fading my acne scars, my sun habit just baked them into my skin for longer.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 21 Mar. 2024
Those scars lend further credence to the theory that the cohort indeed represents a new subtype because the parasitic fish only live in deep water.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
Tracing the scars of Louisville’s F4 twister, 50 years later
Louisville weather forecast
Monday night: There will likely be showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 a.m.
—Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
Consumers, still scarred by the cost-of-living crisis, are wary of anything that might hit their pockets, and businesses are pushing back against excessive regulation.
—Ewa Krukowska, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, deeper needle depths are needed for surgery, injury, and acne scarring.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
The Comcast boss is watching an unceasing five-alarm fire rage at 30 Rock, scarring the reputation of NBC News and threatening to consume multiple parts of the Cesar Conde-run NBC Universal News Group.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Even though phone screens have gotten much better, the replacement process is scarring enough to make anyone just buy the dang screen protector.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024
Athill doesn’t treat her foibles and losses—of love, of money, of caste, of certainty—as traumas, events that would define her life as troubled and scarring.
—Hillary Kelly, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
For scarring that doesn't improve with these products, your healthcare provider may suggest other treatments, including dermal filler injections, dermabrasion, and laser therapy.
—Sheeren Jegtvig, Verywell Health, 15 Feb. 2024
Translation: Less trauma to the skin, no perceptible scarring, longer-lasting results (up to 15 years), and improved definition—that key indicator of success—throughout the jaw, cheeks, chin, and neck.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2024
Doing so is a surefire way to cause more inflammation and possibly acne scarring.
—Angela Palmer, Verywell Health, 17 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scar
Cite this Entry
“Scar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scar. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scar
1 of 2 noun1
: a mark left (as on the skin) after injured tissue has healed
2
: a mark on a stem or branch where a leaf or fruit has separated
3
: a mark (as on furniture) resembling a scar
4
: a lasting injury from a bad experience
scar
2 of 2 verb
scarred; scarring
1
: to mark with or form a scar
2
: to do lasting injury to
3
: to become scarred
Medical Definition
scar
1 of 2 noun1
: a mark left (as in the skin) by the healing of injured tissue
2
: a lasting emotional injury
psychological scars
scar
2 of 2 verb
scarred; scarring
: to mark with a scar
scarred heart valves
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