scrimmage

1 of 2

noun

scrim·​mage ˈskri-mij 

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

scrimmage

2 of 2

verb

scrimmaged; scrimmaging

intransitive verb

: to take part in a scrimmage

transitive verb

: to play a scrimmage against

scrimmager noun

Synonyms

Noun

• skirmish
• clash
• battle
• fight

Verb

• fight
• battle
• clash (with)
• war (against)
• skirmish (with)
• combat

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

Fortunately, for the Chiefs, Kelce was back on the field for the second half and caught a pass on the first play from scrimmage. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025

After taking care of Tarleton State and Texas in preseason scrimmages, the real season is almost here for TCU men’s basketball. —Steven Johnson october 31, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025

Verb

Mazzulla, the mysteriously intense head coach of the Celtics, surprised the Boston media last week with news that his staff would be scrimmaging against them. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025

Didn't scrimmage but did quite a bit of work that day. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English scrymmage, alteration of skyrmissh skirmish

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1536, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing scrimmage

• line of scrimmage
• scrimmage line

Rhymes for scrimmage

• image

Kids Definition

scrimmage

1 of 2 noun

scrim·​mage ˈskrim-ij 

1

: a minor battle : skirmish

2

: the play between two football teams that begins with the snap of the ball

3

: practice play between a team's squads or a practice game between two teams

scrimmage

2 of 2 verb

scrimmaged; scrimmaging

: to take part in a scrimmage

scrimmager noun