notch

American  

[noch] / nɒtʃ /

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.

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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.

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.

notch British  

/ 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 )

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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

notch More Idioms  

1. see take down a notch.

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Other Word Forms

• notchy adjective
• unnotched adjective

Etymology

Origin of notch

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

Example Sentences

He took that momentum into the third set and stepped it up another notch.

From Barron's

Gold notched its largest one-week dollar gain on record last week, with a weak dollar and continued pressure on Federal Reserve independence also driving the commodity up, Deutsche Bank analyst Jim Reid says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Though he has only practiced the ancient art of sumo professionally for two years, he already sits just one notch below the immortal rank of yokozuna.

From The Wall Street Journal

"These notches in the wheels and the deformation observed in the track are compatible with the fact that the track was cracked," it wrote in what it called a "working hypothesis".

From Barron's

It added that three trains that had gone over the tracks at 17:21 on Sunday, 19:01 and then 19:09 had similar notches "with a compatible geometric pattern".

From BBC

Related Words

• rung