1
2
as in canyons
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
try to get through the notch before the storm blows in
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in steps
an individual part of a process, series, or ranking
sales for the album increased, and it moved up another notch on the music charts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of notches
Jim Root, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Lægreid’s act is more than a few notches toward the latter.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 11 Feb. 2026
As if the hype surrounding BTS‘ upcoming fifth studio album, Arirang, wasn’t already sky high after the K-pop supergroup’s nearly four-year hiatus, producer Diplo just amped things up a few more notches.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
Small notches hold tank tops and more delicate sleeves in place, while the contoured sides prevent dimples from forming at the shoulders of your favorite sweaters.
—Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Jan. 2026
Temperatures on Friday are expected to rise no higher than 15 degrees in Denver, with the thermometer dipping to a few notches above zero tonight.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
While porchetta alone is delicious, adding mustard — particularly your own homemade mustard — elevates it another couple of notches.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
These notches resemble the teeth on a saw blade.
—Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 3 Jan. 2026
The newfound harmony and hard salary cap are both notches in the league’s growth story.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 26 Dec. 2025
Noun
Still, Haugh is a few notches higher per EvanMiya analytics, plays way more minutes and is the Gators’ leading scorer.
—Jim Root, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Lægreid’s act is more than a few notches toward the latter.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 11 Feb. 2026
As if the hype surrounding BTS‘ upcoming fifth studio album, Arirang, wasn’t already sky high after the K-pop supergroup’s nearly four-year hiatus, producer Diplo just amped things up a few more notches.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
Small notches hold tank tops and more delicate sleeves in place, while the contoured sides prevent dimples from forming at the shoulders of your favorite sweaters.
—Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Jan. 2026
Temperatures on Friday are expected to rise no higher than 15 degrees in Denver, with the thermometer dipping to a few notches above zero tonight.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
While porchetta alone is delicious, adding mustard — particularly your own homemade mustard — elevates it another couple of notches.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
These notches resemble the teeth on a saw blade.
—Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 3 Jan. 2026
The newfound harmony and hard salary cap are both notches in the league’s growth story.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 26 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for notches
Noun
-
As more advanced chips enable larger training runs, making models more capable, the scaling laws are likely to reassert themselves.—
Jared Cohen,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Customers can pick three tacos with chicken, beef, seafood or veggie fillings; an appetizer of chips and dip, chicharrones or corn with bone marrow butter; and for dessert, tres leches cake or churros with chocolate sauce.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Travel through passes and canyons could become dangerous, and be alert for rock slides and mud slides.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Travel through passes and canyons could become dangerous, and be alert for rock slides and mud slides.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Almost all of them include whirlpool baths on their terraces; those that don’t instead have semi-private pools just a few steps from the bed.—
José Cantillo Ferrer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Similarly, millions of women whose married names don't match with the name on their birth certificates or passports would face extra steps just to make their voices heard, the Brennan Center cautions.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bar Tab Dan Stahl grooves to a cover band in melting-pot midtown.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Celebrity nail artist Queenie Nguyen gives these bright copper nails indents and grooves for a unique way to dress them up.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The sleeveless top has a roomy silhouette with side slits, while the pants are slightly flared and cropped above the ankle.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The silhouettes reflect the original styles with design elements, including functional skirt slits, raised collars and wraparound jacket style.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The area has deep ravines and dense vegetation.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Low fence markers can be seen outlining the building zone along Route 2, which slopes along open land, wooded patches and some ravines.—
Anna Ortiz,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Samuels, who scored 11 points, reached the milestone in the fourth quarter after knocking down two free throws.—
Mukala Kabongo,
Boston Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The blowout loss would mark not only the biggest margin of defeat for the Trojans in two seasons under Musselman but also the first time USC (18-8 overall, 7-8 in the Big Ten) has given up more than 100 points in a game since 2019.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Stone villages cling to hillsides above orchards while rivers slice through limestone gorges below.—
Rob Crossan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Then there’s the ice that’s been frozen in its tracks while cascading down cliffs and gorges.—
Brian Higgins,
Outside,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Notches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notches. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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