scalp
Americannoun
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the integument of the upper part of the head, usually including the associated subcutaneous structures.
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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.
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any token of victory.
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the integument on the top of the head of an animal.
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Informal. a small profit made in quick buying and selling.
verb (used with object)
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to cut or tear the scalp from.
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Informal.
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to resell (tickets, merchandise, etc.) at higher than the official rates.
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to buy and sell (stocks) so as to make small quick profits.
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to plane down the surfaces of (an ingot, billet, or slab).
verb (used without object)
noun
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anatomy the skin and subcutaneous tissue covering the top of the head
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(among North American Indians) a part of this removed as a trophy from a slain enemy
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a trophy or token signifying conquest
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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
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informal a small speculative profit taken in quick transactions
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dialect a projection of bare rock from vegetation
verb
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to cut the scalp from
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informal to purchase and resell (securities) quickly so as to make several small profits
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informal to buy (tickets) cheaply and resell at an inflated price
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scalpsimple
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scalpssimple
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have scalpedperfect
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has scalpedperfect
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am scalpingprogressive
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are scalpingprogressive
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is scalpingprogressive
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have been scalpingperfect progressive
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has been scalpingperfect progressive
Past
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scalpedsimple
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had scalpedperfect
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was scalpingprogressive
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were scalpingprogressive
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had been scalpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scalp
1250–1300; Middle English (north) (noun), perhaps < Old Norse skālpr sheath (hence, metaphorically a covering)
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:
Sure, all things considered, I’d rather have a small bump sliced off my scalp than have my anal glands expressed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The herb may also improve blood flow to the scalp.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 7, 2026
She says much of the work has focused on male hair loss, partly because men are more likely to get hair transplant surgery, which has made scalp samples easier to access for scientists.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Inside, there are stations of SPF lotions, rows of toner pads and scanners that purport to analyze skin and scalp health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The heat in my neck goes all the way to my scalp, and it feels like my ears finally pop.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
In a recent study, researchers placed electrodes across the scalps of sedated patients, capturing their brain-wave data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
State laws restricting private-equity involvement in the medical sector have taken their first scalps, as authorities signal an aggressive approach to enforcement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Qarabag had taken the scalps of Benfica and Eintracht Frankfurt in the league phase to make the play-off round and at least salvaged some pride with two goals in the second period.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
Clement won a League Cup, took some notable European scalps, drew with Europa League winners Spurs, and only lost in added time to Europa League runners-up, Manchester United, but still got binned.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2025
There now appeared in front of me row upon row of bald female heads, a sea of naked scalps, every one of them red and itchy-looking from being rubbed by the linings of the wigs.
From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl
“In fact, the exhibitors set the price and, frankly, with tickets at Lincoln Square being scalped for $1,000, I think there’s room to move up the prices for a film.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
"Spain scalped France - they flattened France," said former Premier League champion Chris Sutton, who was at the game for BBC Radio 5 Live.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
“This worthy president,” retorted Biddle in 1834, “thinks that because he has scalped Indians and imprisoned judges, he is to have his way with the Bank. He is mistaken.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
The final showing was so popular that tickets were scalped, and the film won the festival’s first-ever audience award.
From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2019
The lords clasped their bare heads as if they'd been scalped.
From "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman
On the scalping site StubHub, tickets for the BTS shows in Mexico are going for as much as $13,000.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
He also stood next to Trump in the White House last year as the president signed an executive order on ticket scalping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Hit products generate the kind of buzz you might see only for a limited-edition sneaker or the latest iPhone, necessitating preorders or, when inventories inevitably dry up, leading to scalping.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025
Such is the effect of Swift's current Eras Tour that she has crashed ticketing sites, experts have coined a new 'Swiftonomics' trend, and places like Victoria in Australia have rushed through scalping law reform.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2023
Tell everybody, when you write your story, that they’re scalping our souls out here.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
