scrimmage

1 of 3

noun (1)

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 3

verb

scrimmaged; scrimmaging

intransitive verb

: to take part in a scrimmage

transitive verb

: to play a scrimmage against

scrimmager noun

scrimmager

3 of 3

noun (2)

scrim·​mag·​er

-jə(r)

plural -s

: a participant in a scrimmage

Synonyms of scrimmage

Noun (1)

• skirmish
• clash
• battle
• fight

Verb

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

Examples of scrimmage in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

At one point during Thursday’s 45-minute open practice/scrimmage situation, KU head coach Bill Self corrected Rosario for passing instead of taking the open 3-pointer. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026

With the event benefiting cancer care and research, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and players were each introduced ahead of the scrimmage alongside physicians, patients and survivors from the Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026

Verb

With the Philadelphia 76ers scrimmaging, Joel Embiid stripped the basketball from Dominick Barlow underneath the hoop. — Tony Jones, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Only able to scrimmage against themselves, the Knights are eager to perform against someone else. — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English scrymmage, alteration of skyrmissh skirmish

and Noun (2)

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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