Thesaurus results for NOTCHES

notches 1 of 2

noun

plural of notch

as in chips

a V-shaped cut usually on an edge or a surface lifted up the fence rail and positioned it in the notch cut into the post

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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

notches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of notch

as in grooves

Related Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of notches

Noun

And if your wallet is feeling particularly flush with cash, an ambient-light-rejecting (ALR)/Fresnel screen will bump up the quality of the cinema experience by several notches. —

Paul Ridden june 22, New Atlas, 22 June 2026 Hukporti is trying to turn Shamet up several notches. —

Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026 Such a reader would be even more exasperated by The End of Everything, which turns the dial up several notches. —

Literary Hub, 11 June 2026 Although the upgrade leaves Argentina several notches below investment status, the vote of confidence advances Milei's goal of bringing the crisis-prone economy back to global capital markets six years after Argentina defaulted on its foreign debt for the ninth time. —

ABC News, 11 June 2026 Mounted on an axis, the silver wheels with satisfying notches in them can be rotated, pushed side-to-side, and back-and-forth. —

Joel Feder, The Drive, 11 June 2026 There have long been ubiquitous foods and drinks associated with the Slams—like the Pimm’s Cup at Wimbledon since 1971 and Honey Deuces at the US Open—but in recent years, food offerings have been taken up a few good notches. —

Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026 These tools are thin, flimsy, and built with barbed notches on the side that are used to grabbing hair and break through soap scum or other debris to remove them from your drain. —

Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 8 May 2026 The agency’s Ba2 rating on South Africa’s sovereign debt — two notches below investment grade — will not be affected. —

Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 4 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for notches

Noun

Not surprisingly, some of the most addictive foods named in the study were grocery store junk foods — ultraprocessed cookies, cakes, doughnuts, muffins, pies, pizza, chips, candy and other snack foods.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
Using a non-comparative, cradle-to-gate method that excluded downstream applications and packaging, the study tracked materials from extraction or waste collection to the final textile-ready product, whether PET chips, staple fiber or yarns.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 17 June 2026