notch
Americannoun
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notches
plural
-
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.
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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.
verb (used with object)
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notches,
present (3rd person singular)
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notched,
past participle, past
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notching
present participle
-
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.
idioms
noun
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a V-shaped cut or indentation; nick
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a cut or nick made in a tally stick or similar object
-
a narrow pass or gorge
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informal a step or level (esp in the phrase a notch above )
verb
-
to cut or make a notch in
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to record with or as if with a notch
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informal (usually foll by up) to score or achieve
the team notched up its fourth win
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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notchsimple
-
notchessimple
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have notchedperfect
-
has notchedperfect
-
am notchingprogressive
-
are notchingprogressive
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is notchingprogressive
-
have been notchingperfect progressive
-
has been notchingperfect progressive
Past
-
notchedsimple
-
had notchedperfect
-
was notchingprogressive
-
were notchingprogressive
-
had been notchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of notch
1570–80; a notch (by false division) for an *otch < Old French oche notch
Explanation
A notch is a small cut or nick in something. People make notches to keep track of things. If you've even seen a little U-shaped or V-shaped cut in something, you've seen a notch. In prison, criminals will make notches on the wall to keep track of how long they've been there. If you're stranded on a desert island, you might make notches on a tree. When you make a notch, you're notching. A notch is also part of a mountain range that is lower than the peaks around it — also called a mountain pass.
Vocabulary lists containing notch
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Timnit Gebru, a prominent AI researcher, on LinkedIn called the lab’s communication “top notch propaganda.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
From a military perspective, tensions have been raised another notch by the deal announced on Wednesday, paving the way for US firms to help Saudi Arabia develop its own domestic civil nuclear power programme.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Preparing a live lobster might sound intimidating, but it’s a lot easier than you think and will truly take your summer hosting up a notch.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
I’ve liked her in everything but her anachronistic appeal is especially good in movies like “Gail Daughtry” that crank reality up a notch so everything moves fast and silly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The beat went up a notch, to thirty- four, then another notch, to thirty-five.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
The authors estimated that private ratings are effectively two to three notches more favorable than public ratings with comparable impairment risk.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
Even more striking, in more than 500 wild primates, across 27 species both living and fossil, we found no trace of a common modern dental disease: deep, V-shaped gumline notches called abfraction lesions.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
Mohamed Salah's latest unprompted public outburst will ratchet up the pressure on struggling Liverpool head coach Arne Slot by several notches.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
The stock at 18 times forward earnings, down from a 2026 peak of 22 times, a few notches below the S&P 500 and below Home Depot’s just over 21 times.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
“Did you make lots of notches in it?”
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
It is possible Wisley in Surrey will have notched up 60 days with no rain by Sunday.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The business notched net sales of $918 million, down 3.2% from last year, as volume and mix declines outweighed higher prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
As the extremely dry spell continues across much of England and Wales, a small village in Surrey has notched up 50 consecutive days without rain this summer.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Uber Technologies notched higher revenue in the second quarter but issued a soft outlook as it continues to invest heavily in autonomous vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
In a glass cabinet against the wall three rows of dentures grinned at her with crooked teeth, overlapping teeth, notched teeth.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
Americans took out almost $211 billion in auto loans this past spring, notching a new record, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Bristol Myers Squibb raised its outlook for the year after notching higher profit and revenue in the latest quarter, boosted by its portfolio of newer treatments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Tencent Holdings fell 7.05% and NetEase declined 7.4%, both notching their biggest one-day percentage drop in more than a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Scott, after notching just his second blown save Monday, compared to his 12 saves and 2.70 ERA, didn’t have an opening to improve on his All-Star campaign Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Images of warriors notching their bows and letting their arrows fly.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
