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• scotch
  scotch

  verb (used with object)

  to put a definite end to; crush; stamp out; foil.
• Scotch
  Scotch

  adjective

  (used outside of Scotland) of Scottish origin; resembling or regarded as characteristic of Scotland or the Scottish people.

scotch

¹ American  

[skoch] / skɒtʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to put a definite end to; crush; stamp out; foil.

   to scotch a rumor; to scotch a plan.

2. to cut, gash, or score.

3. to injure so as to make harmless.

4. to block or prop with a wedge or chock.

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noun

1. a cut, gash, or score.

2. a block or wedge put under a wheel, barrel, etc., to prevent slipping.

scotch ² American  

[skoch] / skɒtʃ /

verb (used with object)

Masonry.

1. scutch.

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Scotch ³ American  

[skoch] / skɒtʃ /

adjective

1. (used outside of Scotland) of Scottish origin; resembling or regarded as characteristic of Scotland or the Scottish people.

   Scotch plaid.

2. Sometimes Offensive. of or relating to Scotland or its inhabitants; Scottish.

3. (usually lowercase) frugal; provident; thrifty.

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noun

• Scotches
  plural

1. (used with a plural verb) the inhabitants of Scotland; the Scots.

2. (often lowercase) Scotch whisky.

3. Sometimes Offensive. the English language as spoken in Scotland; Scots.

scotch ¹ British  

/ skɒtʃ /

verb

1. to put an end to; crush

   bad weather scotched our plans

2. archaic to injure so as to render harmless

3. obsolete to cut or score

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noun

1. archaic a gash; scratch

2. a line marked down, as for hopscotch

Scotch ² British  

/ skɒtʃ /

adjective

1. another word for Scottish

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noun

1. the Scots or their language

Scotch ³ British  

/ skɒtʃ /

noun

1. Also called: Scotch whisky.  whisky distilled esp from fermented malted barley and made in Scotland

2. a type of relatively mild beer

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scotch ⁴ British  

/ skɒtʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to block, prop, or prevent from moving with or as if with a wedge

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noun

1. a block or wedge to prevent motion

Usage

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

Commonly Confused

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Scotches
  plural

Etymology

Origin of scotch¹

1375–1425; late Middle English scocche (noun and v.), perhaps blend of score and notch (> Anglo-French escocher )

Origin of Scotch³

First recorded in 1585–95; syncopated variant of Scottish

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scotch Scotch Scotches

I was in my mid-20s and not really a scotch drinker when my grandfather took me up there and we ordered two of the best glasses either of us had ever had.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

UK business and trade secretary Peter Kyle said: "This is great news for our scotch whisky industry, which is worth almost £1bn in exports and supports thousands of jobs across the UK."

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 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

Other plots involve bandits, guns and an Indigenous tribe, the Cayuse, about to sign a treaty and a rebel faction out to scotch it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025

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

It was part of Scotch Snap - a medley of traditional and modern classics - which the Dumfries native combined with dance moves and a series of patriotic outfits.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

The US had originally imposed a 10% levy on Scotch whisky in April 2025.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

“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

And when there were no flowers, it held a leaf arrangement, a gathering of twigs and berries, pussy willow, Scotch pine.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

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

In his excellent guide, “The World Atlas of Whisky,” Dave Broom asserts that in good blended Scotches, grain whisky coaxes out the complexities of a malt by emphasizing secondary characteristics that might otherwise be hidden.

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

One might think only a true connoisseur could discern, or care about, the nuances of different superpremiums, in the same way fans of single-malt Scotches and small-batch bourbons latch on to favorite labels.

From Time Magazine Archive

The man from Pompton, N.J., who always wears an overcoat in July, had turned up in a Broadway hotel drinking hot Scotches and enjoying his annual ray from the calcium.

From The Trimmed Lamp, and other Stories of the Four Million by O. Henry

Related Words

• bring down curtain
• bring to an end
• crush
• end
• nip in the bud
• put a stop to
• put an end to
• put paid to
• put the lid on
• squelch
• stamp out