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Scots

American  
[skots] / skɒts /

noun

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


adjective

  1. Scottish.

Scots British  
/ skɒts /

adjective

  1. 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

  1. 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.

Playing their next match at Everton's new stadium - another 'home' game for the Africans - meant they and the Scots both only needed a few hours of driving.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

While he described welfare as a necessary "safety net", he vowed to get thousands of economically inactive Scots back into work.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Their plan was good in theory: The Scots would carve a route across Panama and control trade between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

McArthur accused those who rejected the bill of a "woefully inadequate response to the suffering and trauma experienced by dying Scots and their families".

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

The Ulster Scots were not merely settlers; they can be more accurately described as settler-soldiers.

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