noun

scotch

skoch

noun

Whisky distilled in Scotland, especially from malted barley.

"He poured himself a glass of scotch after a long day."

A wedge or block placed against a wheel to stop it rolling.

"They put a scotch behind the truck's wheel before unloading it."

verb

To put an end to something, such as a plan or rumor, before it can succeed.

"The board scotched the takeover bid within days."

How to Use Scotch

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost often refers to Scottish whisky, or to a verb meaning to shut down a plan or rumour firmly.

Common mistake

As an adjective for people or things from Scotland, "Scottish" or "Scots" is preferred today; "Scotch" is mainly reserved for the whisky and a handful of fixed terms like "Scotch tape."

Common pairings

a glass of scotch scotch the rumours scotch tape

Word Forms

scotched past tense, scotched past tense, scotches plural, Scotches plural, scotches singular, scotches singular

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He poured himself a glass of _____ after a long day.

Etymology

From Middle English scocchen, "to cut," probably from Anglo-Norman escocher, "to notch." Despite the spelling, it is not related to "Scotch" meaning Scottish.

Rhymes for scotch

tch etch itch Dutch catch batch pitch watch witch hutch hatch ditch

See all rhymes for scotch →