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scout
1[ skout ]
/ skaʊt /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of scout
1First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb scouten. skowten, from Old French escouter, escolter, ascolter (French écouter “to listen”) from Late Latin ascultāre, Latin auscultāre “to listen, listen to”; Middle English noun scoute-, from Old French escoute, derivative of escouter; see origin at auscultation
Words nearby scout
scourge, scouring pad, scouring rush, scourings, scouse, scout, scout car, scoutcraft, scouter, scouth, scouthood
Other definitions for scout (2 of 2)
scout2
[ skout ]
/ skaʊt /
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
Origin of scout
2First recorded in 1595–1605; perhaps from Old Norse skūta, skūti “abuse, taunting”; see also shout
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use scout in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for scout (1 of 3)
scout1
/ (skaʊt) /
noun
verb
Derived forms of scout
scouter, nounWord Origin for scout
C14: from Old French ascouter to listen to, from Latin auscultāre to auscultate
British Dictionary definitions for scout (2 of 3)
scout2
/ (skaʊt) /
verb
archaic to reject (a person or thing) with contempt
Word Origin for scout
C17: from Old Norse skūta derision
British Dictionary definitions for scout (3 of 3)
Scout
/ (skaʊt) /
noun
(sometimes not capital) a boy or (in some countries) a girl who is a member of a worldwide movement (the Scout Association) founded as the Boy Scouts in England in 1908 by Lord Baden-Powell with the aim of developing character and responsibilitySee also Air Scout, Girl Scout, Guide, Sea Scout, Venture Scout
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with scout
scout
see good egg (scout).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.