divot

American  

[div-uht] / ˈdɪv ət /

noun

1. Golf. a piece of turf gouged out with a club in making a stroke.

2. Scot. a piece of turf.

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divot British  

/ ˈdɪvət /

noun

1. a piece of turf dug out of a grass surface, esp by a golf club or by horses' hooves

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Etymology

Origin of divot

1530–40; originally Scots, earlier deva ( i ) t, diffat, duvat, of obscure origin

Explanation

A divot is a little chunk of grass or turf that gets dug out of the ground. Playing golf creates many divots. Have you ever seen a lawn that is perfectly maintained and smooth? That's a piece of ground without any divots. A divot is a little piece of the earth that flies up when something sharp hits it, like an animal's sharp hooves. The chunk of earth is a divot, and the cavity left behind is also called a divot. The cleats of football players and the powerful swings of golf players both result in divots.

Example Sentences

“I learned a long time ago, if there’s not a divot, the diameter decreases,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

But Farke could not definitively say if there was a rogue divot on the pitch which had cost his injury-hit side two crucial points at the Stadium of Light after an impressive display.

From BBC • Oct. 4, 2024

The rifle’s extendable stock’s point—that is, the end of the butt nestled “high and tight” into the divot, or pocket, of the shoulder—provided a sturdy point of pressure.

From Slate • Jul. 17, 2024

The female slowly rose inside the crate then bounded up a snowy divot in the dirt road.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 18, 2023

Mrs. Bernoffski gave me a firm poke, leaving a tiny divot in my down-filled chest.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Related Words

• earth
• grass
• ground
• sod
• soil
• terrain
• territory
• track