notch

[noch]

noun

1. an angular or V -shaped cut, indentation, or slit in an object, surface, or edge.

2. a cut or nick made in a stick or other object for record, as in keeping a tally.

3. New England and Upstate New York.,  a deep, narrow opening or pass between mountains; gap; defile.

4. Informal.,  a step, degree, or grade.

   This camera is a notch better than the other.

5. Metallurgy.,  a taphole in a blast furnace.

   iron notch; cinder notch.

verb (used with object)

1. to cut or make a notch in.

2. to record by notches.

   He notched each kill on the stick.

3. to score, as in a game.

   He notched another win.

notch

/ nɒtʃ /

noun

1. a V-shaped cut or indentation; nick

2. a cut or nick made in a tally stick or similar object

3. a narrow pass or gorge

4. informal,  a step or level (esp in the phrase a notch above )

verb

1. to cut or make a notch in

2. to record with or as if with a notch

3. informal,  (usually foll by up) to score or achieve

   the team notched up its fourth win

Other Word Forms

• notchy adjective
• unnotched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of notch¹

1570–80; a notch (by false division) for an *otch < Old French oche notch

Word History and Origins

Origin of notch¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. notch up / down, to move up or down or increase or decrease by notches or degrees.

   The temperature has notched up another degree.

see take down a notch.

Example Sentences

Major U.S. stock indexes notched their fourth straight session of gains Wednesday, boosted by expectations for interest-rate cuts and renewed enthusiasm for the artificial-intelligence trade.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The company said its app Qwen had become “one of the fastest-growing AI applications to date,” notching more than 10 million downloads within the first week of its public beta launch.

Read more on Barron's

Rated two notches above speculative-grade territory, Oracle’s bonds now carry yields that are higher than those of almost any of its investment-grade tech peers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The company also notched a significant victory in September, when a federal judge declined to levy harsh penalties against the company after earlier finding it maintained an illegal monopoly in the search market.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The big-box retailer cut its annual profit outlook and said it would invest billions to upgrade stores as the company notched its 12th consecutive quarter of weak or falling sales.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• rung