sketch

noun

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\ ˈskech

Definition of sketch

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a rough drawing representing the chief features of an object or scene and often made as a preliminary study

b : a tentative draft (as for a literary work)

2 : a brief description (as of a person) or outline

3a : a short literary composition somewhat resembling the short story and the essay but intentionally slight in treatment, discursive in style, and familiar in tone

b : a short instrumental composition usually for piano

c : a slight theatrical piece having a single scene especially : a comic variety act

sketch

verb

sketched; sketching; sketches

Definition of sketch (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to make a sketch, rough draft, or outline of

intransitive verb

: to draw or paint a sketch

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Examples of sketch in a Sentence

Noun He made a sketch of his house. He wrote up a sketch of the plot. There is a biographical sketch of the author on the book's back cover. Verb He sketched the trees outside his window. He likes to sit outside and sketch. She sketched the plan for us.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Brit-watchers may recognize Lucas from his work on the sketch show Little Britain as well as his stints on Doctor Who and his film work, including Bridesmaids and Alice in Wonderland. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "The Great British Bake-Off," 29 July 2020 In the sketch, both Connell and Marianne attend confession with the Hot Priest. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Normal People and Fleabag Crossover of Your Dreams Just Happened," 27 June 2020 In one sketch, Hershey and Mary Elizabeth try to one-up each other in their resentment, trading insults about each other's friends and ancestors, and starting a countdown for divorce. — Maria Carter, Country Living, "Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Brought Us So Much More Than Laughs," 11 May 2020 The date on that sketch, July 28, 1882, as well as dates on several pages of handwritten calculations and diagrams pertaining to the arm, suggest that this change was made after much of the statue had already been built. — Greg Miller, Smithsonian Magazine, "Recently Discovered Drawings for the Statue of Liberty Hint at a Last-Minute Change," 8 Apr. 2020 Tempe Police released a sketch Tuesday of a woman sought in connection with an aggravated assault at Tempe Marketplace June 19. — Audrey Jensen, The Arizona Republic, "Police release sketch of woman sought in aggravated assault at Tempe Marketplace," 8 July 2020 Normal People stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones reprised their roles as Connell and Marianne for a new sketch for Irish broadcaster RTÉ, as part of the station's Comic Relief event to benefit The Community Foundation for Ireland. — Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, "Watch Normal People stars confess their sins to Fleabag's Hot Priest in Comic Relief sketch," 27 June 2020 The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said a sketch of the victim’s tattoo being released to the public lead to a surge of tips from the community and resulting in the positive identification of Bagnall. — oregonlive, "Salem homicide victim identified as 19-year-old man," 27 June 2020 The sketch used video of Tennell competing at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. — Christine Brennan, USA TODAY, "NBC commentators Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir participate in vulgar video spoof of U.S. Olympian," 3 July 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Some of the most substantial showings arrive in the form of drawings with a medical bent, each offering the opportunity to color in or sketch over astoundingly detailed (if not always anatomically accurate) depictions of human bodies. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, "One Hundred Museums Transformed Their Collections Into Free Coloring Pages," 4 Feb. 2020 Regular video calls with institutions in Detroit and nationally were a chance to trade info and advice, and sketch out plans for a return to business once the health situation allowed it. — Brian Mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "'A ray of hope': Motown Museum to reopen July 15, four months after the pandemic hit," 28 June 2020 And young protesters, galvanized by police brutality and a rash of political disappointments, seem to be sketching out a present-day response: Sure, maybe. — Matt Flegenheimer, BostonGlobe.com, "Young protesters say voting isn’t enough. Will they do it anyway?," 6 June 2020 Many nations are preparing to open their borders next month, trying to sketch out the rules for a highly unusual summer tourist season. — Geir Moulson And Derek Gatopoulos, The Christian Science Monitor, "As pandemic ebbs, Europe slowly reopens for summer," 18 May 2020 And neither the District, Maryland nor Virginia has enough contact-tracers in place to sketch a picture of how the coronavirus is spreading. — Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, "What are the current restrictions in the DMV?," 8 May 2020 Two years ago, while playing for Real Madrid in Spain’s ACB league, Chasson Randle started to sketch clothing designs in his free time. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Warriors’ Randle fashioning a backup plan as coronavirus derails NBA dreams," 5 May 2020 Ulve's process is to first sketch things out on actual paper, and then transition the sketch to digital and do revisions on an iPad. — Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, "Generating Game of Thrones characters in Skyrim’s character creator," 5 May 2020 Have them join the journey as Drew, creative director of TIME for Kids, and his sidekick Rosie explore their imaginations and dream up fun things to sketch each week. — Time, "Draw with Us!," 16 Apr. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sketch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

13 Aug 2020

Cite this Entry

“Sketch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sketch. Accessed 22 Aug. 2020.

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More Definitions for sketch

sketch

noun

English Language Learners Definition of sketch

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a quick, rough drawing that shows the main features of an object or scene

: a short description of something

: a short, funny performance

sketch

verb

English Language Learners Definition of sketch (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make a quick, rough drawing of (something)

: to describe (something) briefly

See the full definition for sketch in the English Language Learners Dictionary

sketch

noun

\ ˈskech

Kids Definition of sketch

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a rough outline or drawing showing the main features of something

2 : a short written work (as a story or essay)

3 : a short comic performance

sketch

verb

sketched; sketching

Kids Definition of sketch (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to make a drawing, rough draft, or outline of

2 : to describe or outline (something) briefly Should the scheme he had now sketched prove feasible, Silver … would not hesitate to adopt it.— Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

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