: a thin growth of beard : stubble
He's lean, and not too tall, with spiky hair, scruff on his chin, and a deep voice.—
Margot Cleary
Margot ClearyThe uniform isn't so much suit and tie as it is plaid shirt, work boots, and two-day scruff.—Laura Regensdorf
Laura RegensdorfExamples of scruff in a Sentence
Noun (1)
She held the kitten by the scruff of its neck.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 1 May 2025
There was Claude Makelele, who achieved Toure’s defensive coverage but was far more limited in attack, while even Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira lacked the Ivorian’s ability to take games by the scruff of their necks.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
With black fingernails and facial scruff in his debut years, Demna was seen as a ringleader for all things underground and alternative, exalting the grittier elements of Paris in his collections, along with jolts of S&M and punk, seen in kinky face hoods and spiky sunglasses.
—Miles Socha, WWD, 13 Mar. 2025
However Argentina would take the tie by the scruff of the neck in the second period, and as the game opened up the Qatar 2022 World Cup winners looked by far the more likely side to score.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scruff
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Arsenal are a team whose attack has been built around the chemistry of Odegaard and Saka on the right but, while the winger was taking the game by the scruff of the neck and forcing his way through gaps, the captain appeared to be playing within himself.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 1 May 2025
There was Claude Makelele, who achieved Toure’s defensive coverage but was far more limited in attack, while even Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira lacked the Ivorian’s ability to take games by the scruff of their necks.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
With black fingernails and facial scruff in his debut years, Demna was seen as a ringleader for all things underground and alternative, exalting the grittier elements of Paris in his collections, along with jolts of S&M and punk, seen in kinky face hoods and spiky sunglasses.
—Miles Socha, WWD, 13 Mar. 2025
However Argentina would take the tie by the scruff of the neck in the second period, and as the game opened up the Qatar 2022 World Cup winners looked by far the more likely side to score.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scruff
Cite this Entry
“Scruff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scruff. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share