1
a
: 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
3
a
: 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
sketched; sketching; sketches
: to make a sketch, rough draft, or outline of
: to draw or paint a sketch
sketcher
noun
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
Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025
Day also shared that Close Encounters of the Third Kind director Steven Spielberg was supposed to be in the sketch too, but was cut for time.
—Daysia Tolentino, EW.com, 28 June 2025
Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
His intention at that time was to teach people to sketch.
—Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sketch
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
That's exactly what happened this week when NBA icon Michael Jordan rolled up on NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor and turned a casual reunion into a viral comedy sketch.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025
Day also shared that Close Encounters of the Third Kind director Steven Spielberg was supposed to be in the sketch too, but was cut for time.
—Daysia Tolentino, EW.com, 28 June 2025
Verb
Darjeeling doesn’t do right by most of its non-white characters, but in her brief scenes, Karan sketches an intriguing and beguiling woman.
46.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
His intention at that time was to teach people to sketch.
—Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sketch
Cite this Entry
“Sketch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sketch. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sketch
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a rough drawing representing the chief features of an object or scene
b
: a rough draft (as of a story)
2
: a brief description or outline
3
: a short comedy piece
sketch
2 of 2 verb1
: to make a sketch, rough draft, or outline of
2
: to draw or paint a sketch
sketcher
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share