scrimmage Hear it!

scrimmage definition

scrim·mage (skrim′ij)

noun

  1. a rough-and-tumble fight; tussle; confused struggle
  2. ☆ Football
    1. line of scrimmage
    2. play that begins with the snap from center, with both teams positioned on the line of scrimmage
  3. Rugby scrum
  4. ☆ Sports a practice session or game between two different teams or two units of the same team

Etymology: altered < skirmish

intransitive verb, transitive verb scrimmaged -·maged, scrimmaging -·mag·ing

to take part in a scrimmage (against)

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

scrimmage Synonyms

scrimmage

n.

struggle, confusion, scramble, scuffle, scrap*; see also fight 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

scrimmage Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • regular: Well, brother, without many words, there was a regular scrimmage.

Modifies a noun

  • game: Cheadle midfielder Paul Flowers scored five goals as the national side defeated Columbus Club 11-9 in their first scrimmage game on foreign soil.
scrimmage usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

scrimmage quotes

What happens when a game of football is proposed at Christmas among a party of young men assembled from different schools? Alas!† The Eton man is enamoured of his own rules, and turns up his nose at Rugbyas not sufficiently aristocratic; while the Rugbeian retorts that 'bullying'and 'sneaking'are not to his taste, and he is not afraid of his shins, or of a 'maul'or 'scrimmage'.On hearing this the Harrovian pricks up his ears, and though he might previously have sided with Rugby, the insinuation against the courage of those who do not allow 'shinning'arouses his ire, and causes him to refuse to lay with one who has offered it. Thus it is found impossible to get up a game.

-Anonymous

scrimmage quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Link to this page:

Cite this page:

MLA Style

"scrimmage." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/scrimmage>

APA Style

scrimmage. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/scrimmage

Comments:

Please or Register to post a comment