: 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
Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2026
Spencer is thirty-five and barrel-chested, with three-day scruff on his smiling face.
—John Kenney, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Nikita Zadorov rather comically grabbed Chinakhov by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out of the net.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
In Prescott's absence, the Cowboys were outscored 18-7 in the second half and the team got into a costly scruff with Giants opponents, resulting in penalties and the ejection.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scruff
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Noun
But the most classically stylish amount of scruff to have is none at all.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2026
Spencer is thirty-five and barrel-chested, with three-day scruff on his smiling face.
—John Kenney, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Nikita Zadorov rather comically grabbed Chinakhov by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out of the net.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
In Prescott's absence, the Cowboys were outscored 18-7 in the second half and the team got into a costly scruff with Giants opponents, resulting in penalties and the ejection.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scruff
Cite this Entry
“Scruff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scruff. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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