scrimmage

play

noun scrim·mage \ ˈskri-mij \

Definition of scrimmage

1 a :a minor battle :skirmish

b :a confused fight :scuffle

2 a :the interplay between two football teams that begins with the snap of the ball and continues until the ball is dead

b :practice play (as in football or basketball) between two squads

See scrimmage defined for English-language learners

See scrimmage defined for kids

Examples of scrimmage in a Sentence

The first play from scrimmage netted them a touchdown.
the two players got into a scrimmage off the court and got suspended

Recent Examples of scrimmage from the Web

Thursday's game is a test drive that counts, something far more advanced than anything simulated in preseason scrimmages.

— mike anthony, courant.com, "As New Season Kicks Off, UConn Players Say Edsall Has Them More Than Ready," 30 Aug. 2017
Freshman keepers, Waugh and Palmere, have already proved their elite status in trainings and scrimmages and will certainly be tested in the IAAM's A Conference this season.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "2017 girls soccer preview," 30 Aug. 2017
Igras, who started last season as a sophomore for Lowell (2-0), was suspended for last week's opener against Crown Point and the scrimmage for unspecified reasons.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "Ethan Igras makes progress in debut, throws 3 TD passes as Lowell tops Portage," 26 Aug. 2017
The scrimmage wasn’t truly reflective of what would have been had tackling been allowed.

— susan miller degnan, miamiherald, "UM spots ‘Bethune-Cookman’ 24 points, then posts shutout," 24 Aug. 2017
Daelin Hayes raced around from the left side and nearly got to quarterback Brandon Wimbush on the first play of Sunday's scrimmage.

— lamond pope, chicagotribune.com, "Notre Dame's Daelin Hayes works to carry big spring into fall," 21 Aug. 2017
UK defensive coordinator Matt House said Saturday after the second scrimmage of camp.

— jon hale, The Courier-Journal, "Five bold predictions for Kentucky football's 2017 season | Jon Hale," 21 Aug. 2017
Evans then made two big plays during the first of Alabama's two fall scrimmages.

— matt zenitz, AL.com, "Rashaan Evans: From aspiring QB to QB of Alabama defense," 21 Aug. 2017
Prewett, Utsey, Smith and Logan missed Saturday’s scrimmage.

— tod palmer, kansascity, "Missouri football staff pleased with marathon first scrimmage," 14 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of scrimmage

Middle English scrymmage, alteration of skyrmissh skirmish

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

scrimmage Synonyms

Synonyms

battle, clash, combat, conflict, contest, dustup, fracas, fray, hassle, scrap, fight, scrum, scuffle, skirmish, struggle, tussle

Related Words

pitched battle, rough-and-tumble; affray [chiefly British], battle royal, brawl, broil, donnybrook, free-for-all, melee (also mêlée), mix-up, ruckus, ruction; blows, fistfight, fisticuffs, grapple, handgrips, punch-out, punch-up [chiefly British], slugfest; confrontation, duel, face-off, joust; altercation, argle-bargle [chiefly British], argument, argy-bargy [chiefly British], contretemps, controversy, cross fire, disagreement, dispute, falling-out, kickup, misunderstanding, quarrel, row, spat, squabble, tangle, tiff, wrangle; catfight

Near Antonyms

truce

Other Field and Goal Sports Terms

crease, lateral, lax, overthrow, playbook, post, screen, scrum, secondary, ultimate

scrimmage

verb

Definition of scrimmage

scrimmaged; scrimmaging

intransitive verb

:to take part in a scrimmage

transitive verb

:to play a scrimmage against

—

scrimmager

noun

See scrimmage defined for English-language learners

Examples of scrimmage in a Sentence

Last weekend we scrimmaged against Bell High.

Recent Examples of scrimmage from the Web

Glastonbury has scrimmaged Bloomfield for several years, so the teams are familiar with each other.

— steve smith, Courant Community, "Tomahawks Training Camp Opens," 25 Aug. 2017
Among those scrimmaging with James was Indiana Pacers point guard Darren Collison.

— joe vardon, cleveland.com, "LeBron James said he has 'no ceiling,' mum on Isaiah Thomas," 23 Aug. 2017
LSU scrimmaged two weekends ago with four freshmen in the first-team offensive line, with the other one being redshirt center/guard Lloyd Cushenberry.

— ron higgins, NOLA.com, "Group of U.S. Senators ask NCAA to develop a policy for recruiting athletes with a sexual violence history: Report," 16 Aug. 2017
The Hurricanes are scheduled to scrimmage again next Saturday, this time on campus.

— christy cabrera chirinos, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Richt looking for leaders to emerge after 'Canes first scrimmage," 12 Aug. 2017
The Bearcats will scrimmage Saturday from 7-9 p.m. at Nippert Stadium (closed to the public).

— tom groeschen, Cincinnati.com, "Long time since UC football last scored on a return," 11 Aug. 2017
Morris had finished his freshman year at Stanford when the U.S. national team set up a base there ahead of the 2014 World Cup and scrimmaged against the collegians.

— janie mccauley, courant.com, "Jordan Morris Adds Gold Cup To NCAA, MLS Titles," 27 July 2017
The previous year, George infamously broke his leg scrimmaging for the U.S. National Team.

— nat newell, Indianapolis Star, "Paul George's top 10 games for the Pacers," 30 June 2017
Trinity will scrimmage at Ryle on Aug. 11 before opening its regular season.

— jason frakes, The Courier-Journal, "Trinity football to face Indiana, Ohio, Florida opponents in 2017," 21 June 2017

First Known Use of scrimmage

circa 1825

Other General Sports Terms

kegler, mulligan, rappel, turkey

SCRIMMAGE Defined for English Language Learners

scrimmage

play

noun

Definition of scrimmage for English Language Learners

American football : the point in a game at which the center passes or throws the ball to the quarterback
: an informal game that is played for practice : a game that is not official