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

Sherland promoted Burns' work by attending formal events, hosting school poetry competitions and speaking at Holyrood's Cross-Party Group on the Scots Language, external.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The Scots drank every drop of beer in Boston.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 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

As owners of land, the Ulster Scots could think of themselves as wealthy, as having their own kingdoms to rule over.

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