Scots

American  

[skots] / skɒts /

noun

1. Also called Scottish.  the English language as spoken in Scotland.

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adjective

1. Scottish.

Scots British  

/ skɒts /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Scotland, its people, their English dialects, or their Gaelic language

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noun

1. any of the English dialects spoken or written in Scotland See also Lallans

Commonly Confused

See Scotch.

Etymology

Origin of Scots

1325–75; syncopated form of Scottis, Middle English, variant (north) of Scottish

Example Sentences

What’s really galling to Scots is the culprit’s lack of ambition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

The Scots played their final public preparation game on Saturday, when they defeated Bolivia 4-0, with Clarke utilising most of his squad.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Gaelic and Scots were recognised as official languages as part of a range of new measures that came into force on St Andrew's Day last November.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

And seven decades earlier, Hearts missed out on the 1915 championship, because 13 of its players abruptly left the team: They had enlisted in the Royal Scots battalion to go fight in the Great War.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Some of these Ulster Scots became rich and powerful.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz