scarp

American  

[skahrp] / skɑrp /

noun

1. a line of cliffs formed by the faulting or fracturing of the earth's crust; an escarpment.

2. Fortification. an escarp.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to form or cut into a steep slope.

scarp British  

/ skɑːp /

noun

1. a steep slope, esp one formed by erosion or faulting; escarpment See also cuesta

2. fortifications the side of a ditch cut nearest to and immediately below a rampart

---

verb

1. (tr; often passive) to wear or cut so as to form a steep slope

scarp Scientific  

/ skärp /

1. A continuous line of cliffs produced by vertical movement of the Earth's crust along a fault or by erosion. The term is often used interchangeably with escarpment but is more accurately associated with cliffs produced by faulting rather than those produced by erosional processes.

---

Etymology

Origin of scarp

First recorded in 1580–90, scarp is from the Italian word scarpa a slope. See escarp

Example Sentences

Stewart hasn’t visited the site, but said a large head scarp, which marks the top of a landslide, is visible in photos of the area, “indicating substantial movement” that could have ruptured the pipeline.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025

"The conclusion we came to is: don't build right on top of a scarp, or recently active fault. The farther away from a scarp, the lesser the hazard."

From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2025

Lobate scarp, with visible grabens on its crest.

From Salon • Oct. 4, 2023

The Saddle Mountain quake broke the ground with a 24-foot-tall scarp that blocked a drainage and created Price Lake, drowning trees as the water rose.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 27, 2023

And Lee sat and watched helplessly as the zeppelin flew on directly into a scarp of the mountains that rose up before them.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• bluff
• crag
• precipice
• wall