scrimmage

noun

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scrim·mage | \ ˈskri-mij

Definition of scrimmage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a minor battle : skirmish

b : a confused fight : scuffle

2a : 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

scrimmage

verb

scrimmaged; scrimmaging

Definition of scrimmage (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to take part in a scrimmage

transitive verb

: to play a scrimmage against

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Examples of scrimmage in a Sentence

Noun The first play from scrimmage netted them a touchdown. the two players got into a scrimmage off the court and got suspended Verb Last weekend we scrimmaged against Bell High.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Jaguars’ second scrimmage of the spring is set for Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium. — Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, "Jalen Tolbert embracing role as South Alabama’s go-to guy in 2021," 8 Apr. 2021 Day said Ohio State will hold another scrimmage-like practice on Saturday. — Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Who leads Ohio State football’s quarterback competition halfway through spring? Buckeye Bits," 6 Apr. 2021 Inter Miami have been training together for nearly six weeks, but have only played one preseason scrimmage so far. — Khobi Price, sun-sentinel.com, "Inter Miami looking to become roster compliant before season’s start with Blaise Matuidi now a designated player," 6 Apr. 2021 Two weeks remain in preseason ahead of FCC's April 17 opener at Nashville SC after a scrimmage loss to Minnesota United FC, which marked the end of the Orlando training sojourn for Cincinnati. — Pat Brennan, The Enquirer, "FC Cincinnati closes out Orlando preseason stay with 3-1 loss to Minnesota United," 4 Apr. 2021 Although players wanted former interim coach Frank Maile as their coach after Andersen’s firing, Anderson appears to be making a positive on-field impact on the squad after just a few practices and one scrimmage this spring. — Alex Vejar, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah State getting a first taste of Blake Anderson’s fast-paced offense this spring, and the early reviews are encouraging," 2 Apr. 2021 Texas has not yet announced an altered practice schedule or potential date for the intrasquad scrimmage. — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "Texas to resume spring football following week-long COVID-19 pause," 31 Mar. 2021 With a week off until the state basketball finals on April 3, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian coach Marc Davidson is planning an instrasquad scrimmage for his team on Friday. — Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, "IHSAA basketball state finals notebook: How teams are handling unusual week off," 23 Mar. 2021 He was impressed with the fan turnout and how the scrimmage was conducted. — Richard Davenport, Arkansas Online, "DT target impressed by Arkansas' first scrimmage," 21 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Hill was a 19-year-old college sophomore when he was brought in along with Bobby Hurley, Chris Webber and others to scrimmage the U.S. team that featured Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing and more. — Tim Reynolds, chicagotribune.com, "USA Basketball picks Grant Hill to replace Jerry Colangelo as men’s national team managing director," 4 Apr. 2021 Hill was a 19-year-old college sophomore when he was brought in along with Bobby Hurley, Chris Webber and others to scrimmage the U.S. team that featured Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing and more. — Tim Reynolds, ajc, "USA Basketball picks Grant Hill as Colangelo's replacement," 4 Apr. 2021 Cardinal Newman planned to scrimmage Friday against Vacaville, then will open its season March 19 against Windsor. — Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, "High school football in March: Bay Area players excited to finally take the field," 12 Mar. 2021 Most teams will scrimmage this week and begin games on March 19-20. — Mitch Stephens, San Francisco Chronicle, "In a season like no other, Mission's Julian Neal follows a rare path out of San Francisco," 8 Mar. 2021 The San Juan Capistrano JSerra baseball team will be so good that the Dodgers will invite players to scrimmage against them at Dodger Stadium. — Eric Sondheimer Columnist, Los Angeles Times, "2021 predictions: Eric Sondheimer peers into the crystal ball," 1 Jan. 2021 Utah will scrimmage again for the second and final time Saturday afternoon, at which point Whittingham hopes to have a clear picture of who the starter will be. — Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Nephi Sewell’s switch from safety to linebacker is critical for the young Utes defense," 19 Oct. 2020 Assuming Utah is down to two quarterbacks by the end of this weekend, the Utes are scheduled to scrimmage for a second and final time on Oct. 24, two weeks before the Nov. 7 opener vs. Arizona. — Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah football’s three-way QB competition enters second week," 12 Oct. 2020 Ohio State football will scrimmage in Ohio Stadium on Saturday, with the Buckeyes using the practice to prepare for a full game day experience. — Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Ohio State football news: Buckeyes will scrimmage in the Shoe on Saturday, pregame changes and more," 8 Oct. 2020

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.