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

Craig was mostly solid during the spring, but had multiple turnovers in the final scrimmage. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026

Carson, the defending City Section Open Division champion, will have five mandatory days of acclimation, then hold an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026

Verb

In addition to attending games, some SKC players, including Blorian and Joveljić also got the chance to scrimmage England. — Pj Green july 15, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026

From playground kickabouts with coats as goalposts to Sunday morning scrimmages on muddy park pitches to the velvety green turf of futuristic stadiums, soccer is close to a religion. — Terry Baddoo, USA Today, 14 June 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