scar

¹ American  

[skahr] / skɑr /

noun

1. a mark left by a healed wound, sore, or burn.

2. a lasting aftereffect of trouble, especially a lasting psychological injury resulting from suffering or trauma.

3. any blemish remaining as a trace of or resulting from injury or use.

4. Botany. a mark indicating a former point of attachment, as where a leaf has fallen from a stem.

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verb (used with object)

scarred, scarring

1. to mark with a scar.

verb (used without object)

scarred, scarring

1. to form a scar in healing.

scar ² American  

[skahr] / skɑr /

noun

British.

1. a precipitous, rocky place; cliff.

2. a low or submerged rock in the sea.

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scar ¹ British  

/ skɑː /

noun

1. any mark left on the skin or other tissue following the healing of a wound

2. a permanent change in a person's character resulting from emotional distress

   his wife's death left its scars on him

3. the mark on a plant indicating the former point of attachment of a part, esp the attachment of a leaf to a stem

4. a mark of damage; blemish

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verb

1. to mark or become marked with a scar

2. (intr) to heal leaving a scar

scar ² British  

/ skɑː /

noun

1. an irregular enlongated trench-like feature on a land surface that often exposes bedrock

2. a similar formation in a river or sea

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Other Word Forms

• scarless adjective

Etymology

Origin of scar¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; shortening of eschar

Origin of scar²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English scarre, skerre, from Old Norse sker skerry

Explanation

A scar is a place where a wound healed but is still visible, or if you're little, it's a mark where a boo-boo was. Scar is from the Greek word eskhara, a "scab formed after a burn." It's all that and more. Scar can be a noun or a verb — you can have a scar on your knee after your skateboarding incident, and a bad round of chicken pox can scar you. Something scary can scar, you, too, like a horror movie or catching your parents in the act. Scars can be emotional. Take one letter off scare and you're left with a scar.

Example Sentences

“It ignored the young patients who would be in her clinic, exposed to her speech, and susceptible to internalizing ideas that may scar them for life,” they wrote.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026

There is tremendous scar tissue—literally, and figuratively, from past crises and recoveries—but he is by far the sport’s best known presence, a player who moves the crowds like no other.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

This condition, often termed radiation-induced vaginal stenosis, involves the development of scar tissue that makes the vagina shorter, narrower, drier, and less flexible which can trigger cuts and damage to the tissue.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

The team also found that the compound protected the liver from fibrosis, a buildup of scar tissue that interferes with normal function.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026

“What am I bound to?” the boy asks, frowning at the scar where the ring had been moments before.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• blister
• crater
• defect
• discoloration
• disfigurement
• flaw
• scab
• wound