notch
[noch]
- an angular or V-shaped cut, indentation, or slit in an object, surface, or edge.
- a cut or nick made in a stick or other object for record, as in keeping a tally.
- New England and Upstate New York. a deep, narrow opening or pass between mountains; gap; defile.
- Informal. a step, degree, or grade: This camera is a notch better than the other.
- Metallurgy. a taphole in a blast furnace: iron notch; cinder notch.
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- to cut or make a notch in.
- to record by notches: He notched each kill on the stick.
- to score, as in a game: He notched another win.
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- notch up/down, to move up or down or increase or decrease by notches or degrees: The temperature has notched up another degree.
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Origin of notch
1570–80; a notch (by false division) for an *otch < Old French oche notch
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
runggashcutindentincisionscratchindenturegapnickscorecleftmillmarkgrooverutnockrabbetgradestepdegreeExamples from the Web for notch
Contemporary Examples
Now they are a notch on a belt, and the savior can feel good about themselves.
Can you imagine Superman being handed over to a writer just a notch above amateur?
But while they have been taken down a notch, giants like Goldman Sachs still tower over their regulators.
Did you feel Archer needed to, in the words of Emeril, kick it up a notch?
'Archer Creator Adam Reed on 'Vice,' Season 6's 'Unreboot,' and New CharactersMarlow Stern
August 5, 2014
Despite committing 13 penalties, the Iroquois roared back from a late 8-3 deficit to notch it at 8-8 before giving up a late goal.
A Millennium After Inventing the Game, the Iroquois Are Lacrosse’s New SuperpowerEvin Demirel
July 21, 2014
Historical Examples
Notch and ornament it handsomely with leaves and flowers of paste.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
Cover the pie with a crust, notch and ornament it, and bake it well.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
Notch the edges handsomely, and put a paste flower in the centre.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
It had rained among the hills about the Notch, and cleared off.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VI (of VII)John Greenleaf Whittier
Then he turned to the nearest tree, and made a notch on the bark with the blade.
Roden's CornerHenry Seton Merriman
notch
- a V-shaped cut or indentation; nick
- a cut or nick made in a tally stick or similar object
- US and Canadian a narrow pass or gorge
- informal a step or level (esp in the phrase a notch above)
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- to cut or make a notch in
- to record with or as if with a notch
- (usually foll by up) informal to score or achievethe team notched up its fourth win
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Word Origin
C16: from incorrect division of an otch (as a notch), from Old French oche notch, from Latin obsecāre to cut off, from secāre to cut
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for notch
v.
1590s, from notch (n.). Earlier verb (before misdivision) was Middle English ochen "to cut, slash" (c.1400). Related: Notched; notching.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
notch
(nŏch)- An indentation at the edge of a structure; an incisure.
- An upstroke or peak on a pulse tracing.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with notch
notch
see take down a notch.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.