to put a definite end to; crush; stamp out; foil.
to scotch a rumor; to scotch a plan.
to cut, gash, or score.
to injure so as to make harmless.
to block or prop with a wedge or chock.
a cut, gash, or score.
a block or wedge put under a wheel, barrel, etc., to prevent slipping.
(used outside of Scotland) of Scottish origin; resembling or regarded as characteristic of Scotland or the Scottish people.
Scotch plaid.
Sometimes Offensive. of or relating to Scotland or its inhabitants; Scottish.
(usually lowercase) frugal; provident; thrifty.
(used with a plural verb) the inhabitants of Scotland; the Scots.
(often lowercase) Scotch whisky.
Sometimes Offensive. the English language as spoken in Scotland; Scots.
to put an end to; crush
bad weather scotched our plans
archaic to injure so as to render harmless
obsolete to cut or score
archaic a gash; scratch
a line marked down, as for hopscotch
Also called: Scotch whisky. whisky distilled esp from fermented malted barley and made in Scotland
a type of relatively mild beer
In the north of England and in Scotland, Scotch is not used outside fixed expressions such as Scotch whisky. The use of Scotch for Scots or Scottish is otherwise felt to be incorrect, esp when applied to people
The natives of Scotland refer to themselves as Scots or, in the singular, Scot, Scotsman, or Scotswoman. The related adjectives are Scottish or, less commonly, Scots. Scotch as a noun or adjective is objected to by the Scots except when used of whisky and in established phrases like Scotch egg and Scotch pine. In the United States, Scotch is often used in inforrmal speech and writing where the Scots themselves, or some Americans of Scottish descent, would prefer Scottish or Scots. The term Scotch-Irish is standard in the United States for the descendants of the Scots of Ulster who immigrated to America beginning in the 18th century.
1375–1425; late Middle English scocche (noun and v.), perhaps blend of score and notch (> Anglo-French escocher )
First recorded in 1585–95; syncopated variant of Scottish
Don't get your hopes up: The verb to scotch has nothing to do with the well-known liquor. Instead, it means to prevent or stop something from happening. To scotch is, most often, to prevent plans, efforts, or desires — as opposed to things — from coming about. You wouldn't say, for example, "turning off the flame is one way to scotch the steak." But you might say, "Our plans for spending the weekend camping in the mountains were scotched by the blizzard. No camping for us." Think of scotching as similar to throwing a wrench into someone's plans. Drinking Scotch is one way to scotch your efforts to remain sober.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“This is great news for our scotch whisky industry, which is worth almost £1bn in exports and supports thousands of jobs across the UK,” said U.K.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Our tablemates had purchased a litany of fried options, including scotch eggs from the Quail Inn, which also serves bacon-wrapped jalapeño peppers, cheese fritters and “whole, partially deboned quail.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
But a provincial official appeared to scotch such suggestions, telling AFP: "There are no security alerts of any kind".
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
The 11 ingredients in the book — beans, calabaza, cassava, chayote, coconut, cornmeal, okra, plantains, rice, salted cod and scotch bonnet peppers — are all inherently Caribbean ingredients.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024
Those parties have a very international flair, what with the scotch whiskey, American LPs, and the embassy gossip.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
“If Scotland can emphasize very small differences between Speyside and Highlands-style Scotch, what’s more fun than showing off variations between Seattle, Colorado, Texas and Nantucket?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
JR: The expansion definitely took a bottle of 18-year-old Scotch and poured soapy water in it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
To avoid the high prices of Scotch bonnets, she also uses locally grown Moruga scorpion peppers, which are native to Trinidad.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
The US multinational maker of Post-it and Scotch tape also reached a $10 billion settlement in the United States in 2023 over contamination of water supplies.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
I think of myself standing there in the gallery, surrounded by one-of-a-kind boutique wear and real pearls, widow-colored and linty where the Scotch tape has missed.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Single malts long have been and still are largely used for blended Scotches, which are single malts blended with grain whisky; the pop appeal of single malts is a relatively new phenomenon.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2018
David said he was expecting more variation among them, and recalled that years ago blended Scotches were maltier and peatier.
From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2018
Here is where Canadian whiskey is perched on the shelf next to high-end Japanese labels and Scotches.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 24, 2015
The long predinner cocktail hour is vanishing; at most parties, white wine, dry sherry or a light aperitif is served—briefly —instead of the palate-numbing Scotches and martinis of yesteryear.
From Time Magazine Archive
He settled to stay over here with the south-side Scotches, and the little one-note song reaching his attention, he suddenly shoved his foot at the nearest boy, who lightly sprang away.
From Lin McLean by Wister, Owen
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.
