scrimmage

1 of 2

noun

scrim·​mage ˈskri-mij How to pronounce scrimmage (audio)
Synonyms of scrimmagenext
1
a
: a minor battle : skirmish
b
: a confused fight : scuffle
2
a
: the interplay between two football teams that begins with the snap of the ball and continues until the ball is dead
b
: practice play (as in football or basketball) between two squads

scrimmage

2 of 2

verb

scrimmaged; scrimmaging

intransitive verb

: to take part in a scrimmage

transitive verb

: to play a scrimmage against
scrimmager noun

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of scrimmage in a Sentence

Noun The first play from scrimmage netted them a touchdown. the two players got into a scrimmage off the court and got suspended Verb Last weekend we scrimmaged against Bell High.
Recent Examples on the Web
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
This summer, Flagg was invited to play for the U.S. Select Team and scrimmage against the country’s Olympic squad. —Tim Casey, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024 Four unknown assailants were involved in an altercation with non-students during a Franklin High School scrimmage football game. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2024
Verb
Montreal, Boston and Ottawa will take part in the Montreal mini-camp, to be held at Place Bell, while Toronto, Minnesota and New York will scrimmage at Toronto’s training facility, the Ford Performance Centre. —Carol Schram, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 The two will scrimmage against each other in Thursday’s teal vs. white prospects game at Tech CU Arena. —Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 3 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for scrimmage 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English scrymmage, alteration of skyrmissh skirmish

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1536, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of scrimmage was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing scrimmage

Dictionary Entries Near scrimmage

scrim

scrimmage

scrimmage line

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Scrimmage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrimmage. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

scrimmage

1 of 2 noun
scrim·​mage ˈskrim-ij How to pronounce scrimmage (audio)
1
: a minor battle : skirmish
2
: the play between two football teams that begins with the snap of the ball
3
: practice play between a team's squads or a practice game between two teams

scrimmage

2 of 2 verb
scrimmaged; scrimmaging
: to take part in a scrimmage
scrimmager noun

More from Merriam-Webster on scrimmage

Nglish: Translation of scrimmage for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about scrimmage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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