scalp

American  

[skalp] / skælp /

noun

1. the integument of the upper part of the head, usually including the associated subcutaneous structures.

2. a part of this integument with the accompanying hair, severed from the head of an enemy as a sign of victory, as by some North American Indians and others during the colonial and frontier periods in the U.S.

3. any token of victory.

4. the integument on the top of the head of an animal.

5. Informal. a small profit made in quick buying and selling.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cut or tear the scalp from.

2. Informal.

   1. to resell (tickets, merchandise, etc.) at higher than the official rates.

   2. to buy and sell (stocks) so as to make small quick profits.

3. to plane down the surfaces of (an ingot, billet, or slab).

verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to scalp tickets, stocks, or the like.

scalp British  

/ skælp /

noun

1. anatomy the skin and subcutaneous tissue covering the top of the head

2. (among North American Indians) a part of this removed as a trophy from a slain enemy

3. a trophy or token signifying conquest

4. hunting a piece of hide cut from the head of a victim as a trophy or as proof of killing in order to collect a bounty

5. informal a small speculative profit taken in quick transactions

6. dialect a projection of bare rock from vegetation

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verb

1. to cut the scalp from

2. informal to purchase and resell (securities) quickly so as to make several small profits

3. informal to buy (tickets) cheaply and resell at an inflated price

Other Word Forms

• scalper noun
• scalpless adjective

Etymology

Origin of scalp

1250–1300; Middle English (north) (noun), perhaps < Old Norse skālpr sheath (hence, metaphorically a covering)

Example Sentences

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underwent surgery Friday that removed a lesion on his scalp, less than six months before the presidential elections.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

“Claiming a top criminal scalp will not spare the government from a messy aftermath,” said Mora of the International Crisis Group.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

One anonymous volunteer, who tried out the brain stimulation test, said the experience felt "like a warm shower or small drops of rain" on the scalp.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

"It truly is the first time in history that one can modulate activity deep in the brain, centimeters from the scalp, examining subcortical structures with high spatial resolution," Freeman says.

From Science Daily • Feb. 4, 2026

Shiny patches of scalp show, brighter and larger than when the school year began.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti