Scots

American

[skots] / skɒts /

noun

Also called Scottish. the English language as spoken in Scotland.

adjective

Scottish.

Scots British

/ skɒts /

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Scotland, its people, their English dialects, or their Gaelic language

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

any of the English dialects spoken or written in Scotland See also Lallans

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Commonly Confused

See Scotch.

Etymology

Origin of Scots

1325–75; syncopated form of Scottis, Middle English, variant (north) of Scottish

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:

Scots

Should Scots back their near neighbours, or support anyone but England?

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

A middle belt, which he terms "Greater Appalachia", was first settled by independent-minded Scots and Irish.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

The biggest disappointment, really, is the loss of the aforementioned Scots, and the accompanying North American beer glut which is surely to follow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

New England is ready to absorb Scotland as its seventh state as soon as the Scots agree to stop pronouncing their r’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

Ulster Scots settlers were primarily farmers who cleared forests and built log cabins.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023