scrim·shaw
ˈskrim-ˌshȯ 
scrimshawed; scrimshawing; scrimshaws
: to carve or engrave into scrimshaw
: to produce scrimshaw
1
: any of various carved or engraved articles made originally by American whalers usually from baleen or whale ivory
2
: scrimshawed work
3
: the art, practice, or technique of producing scrimshaw
Examples of scrimshaw in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Timothy Farrington, WSJ, 30 Mar. 2023
Among them: Ivory tusks, nearly 25 scrimshawed whale teeth, and two mounted walrus skulls, a store employee told the Anchorage Daily News on Saturday.
—Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Apr. 2018
News Desk, Artforum, 3 Nov. 2025
The Freewheelin’ one has beautiful scrimshaw bone buttons; then there is a snap-front tan suede motor jacket.
—Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2025
Both attempts failed after facing strong opposition from a variety of groups including museums, antique collectors, knifemakers and scrimshaw artists, sportsmen, musicians, and others.
—Alison Cross, Hartford Courant, 25 Jan. 2024
The Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly chambers, adorned with antlers and a scrimshaw walrus tusk, served as the nerve center for the search with Clement Sr. acting as spokesperson.
—Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2023
Duke Riley started out making maritime crafts, like sailor’s valentines and scrimshaws, entirely out of shells, bones and other natural materials that washed ashore on the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and greater New York.
—Siobhan Reid, USA TODAY, 30 July 2023
From leather work and life-size bronze statues to intricate paintings on wasp-nest paper, scrimshaw and jewelry, his varied artistic creations reflect his unique talents and affinity with the natural world.
—New York Times, 26 July 2021
Out on the high seas, despite cramped and filthy conditions, rampant scurvy, omnipresent rats, and the threat of tar-and-feathering, a skilled sailor left to his own devices might have occasion to carve out a fine pornographic scrimshaw on sea ivory.
—Cintra Wilson, The New York Review of Books, 17 Dec. 2020
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Verb
But only humans, with our ability to scrimshaw meaning onto the most mundane activities, turn walking into an occasion for pious celebration.
—Timothy Farrington, WSJ, 30 Mar. 2023
Among them: Ivory tusks, nearly 25 scrimshawed whale teeth, and two mounted walrus skulls, a store employee told the Anchorage Daily News on Saturday.
—Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Apr. 2018
Noun
Among the objects purloined in the 3:30 a.m. raid were a half-dozen Native American baskets and several nineteenth-century scrimshaw objects, including a set of walrus tusks.
—News Desk, Artforum, 3 Nov. 2025
The Freewheelin’ one has beautiful scrimshaw bone buttons; then there is a snap-front tan suede motor jacket.
—Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2025
Both attempts failed after facing strong opposition from a variety of groups including museums, antique collectors, knifemakers and scrimshaw artists, sportsmen, musicians, and others.
—Alison Cross, Hartford Courant, 25 Jan. 2024
The Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly chambers, adorned with antlers and a scrimshaw walrus tusk, served as the nerve center for the search with Clement Sr. acting as spokesperson.
—Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2023
Duke Riley started out making maritime crafts, like sailor’s valentines and scrimshaws, entirely out of shells, bones and other natural materials that washed ashore on the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and greater New York.
—Siobhan Reid, USA TODAY, 30 July 2023
From leather work and life-size bronze statues to intricate paintings on wasp-nest paper, scrimshaw and jewelry, his varied artistic creations reflect his unique talents and affinity with the natural world.
—New York Times, 26 July 2021
Out on the high seas, despite cramped and filthy conditions, rampant scurvy, omnipresent rats, and the threat of tar-and-feathering, a skilled sailor left to his own devices might have occasion to carve out a fine pornographic scrimshaw on sea ivory.
—Cintra Wilson, The New York Review of Books, 17 Dec. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Scrimshaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrimshaw. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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