scot
noun
a payment or charge.
scot
1 American
[skot]
/ skɒt /
noun
History/Historical.
-
a payment or charge.
-
one's share of a payment or charge.
-
an assessment or tax.
Scot
2
American
[skot]
/ skɒt /
noun
Scots
plural
-
a native or inhabitant of Scotland.
-
one of an ancient Gaelic people who came from northern Ireland about the 6th century a.d. and settled in the northwestern part of Great Britain, and after whom Scotland was named.
Scot.
4
American
abbreviation
-
Scotch.
-
Scotland.
-
Scottish.
Scot.
1
British
abbreviation
-
Scotch (whisky)
-
Scotland
-
Scottish
Scot
2
British
/ skɒt /
noun
-
a native or inhabitant of Scotland
-
a member of a tribe of Celtic raiders from the north of Ireland who carried out periodic attacks against the British mainland coast from the 3rd century ad , eventually settling in N Britain during the 5th and 6th centuries
scot
Idioms
Commonly Confused
See Scotch.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of scot1
1200–50; Middle English < Old Norse skattr tax, treasure; cognate with Old English gescot payment
Origin of Scot2
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English Scottas (plural), from Late Latin Scottī “the Irish”
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:
ULA’s design means large losses may be heavily taxed while big gains go scot free.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2025
"Whether he knew about it or not, Eric was married and quite a lot older than my mum. Then he went off to Australia. I think he got off scot free," she says.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2020
On this basis, prosecutors declined to try the case and the McMichaels appeared to go scot free.
From Slate ● May 19, 2020
So either the wrongdoers got off scot free, or the SEC shouldn’t have brought the case it did against the company.
From BusinessWeek ● Feb. 10, 2011
And the big yeller dog that had caused all the trouble got off scot free.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
Scot Turner’s broker, who’s long ignored his calls, buzzed him recently with a great opportunity—a previously closed private-equity fund.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The Scot was 20 years old when he captured an iconic photograph of Diego Maradona holding the World Cup trophy on the pitch at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
The tool identified various combinations of factors such as pressure and temperature inside the drug’s manufacturing equipment that could be tweaked to shorten the process, said Scot Lindsey, senior vice president of manufacturing and quality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Campbell started performing as a teenager to make friends; Robertson did so after the “lightbulb moment” of seeing fellow Scot David Tennant in “Doctor Who.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
The whimpering Scot crept toward the cockpit, keeping low to the floor of the aircraft to avoid having to look out.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
"I'm married to a Bengali Scot. My son is going out with a Kurdish refugee."
From BBC ● May 31, 2016
Chardy converts with a superb point, pulling Murray all over the court before nailing a cross-court forehand past the Scot. 1-1 in the first, two breaks already.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 1, 2015
From bec-jaune we have archaic Scot. beejam, university freshman.
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest
Scot., i., p.375; commenting on Brewer, Henry VIII., pp.28,
From England under the Tudors by Innes, Arthur D. (Arthur Donald)
Cad is for Scot. caddie, errand boy, now familiar in connection with golf, and caddie is from Fr. cadet, younger.
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest
The Scots drank every drop of beer in Boston.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
But while the Scots drank Boston dry and have won the heart of the city and its people, experts say the long-term economic benefits are minimal.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
"Norwegians are as daft about football as the Scots and I was amazed to discover the number of Doonhamers who are related to or have friends who are Norwegians," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
"The behaviour of England fans - and of course the Scots - has been excellent throughout the group stages of the World Cup," chief constable Mark Roberts, head of the UKFPU, said.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Today she wore flame-red hair and freckled skin as if she'd escaped a farm somewhere in the Empire of Greater Scots Ireland.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
