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scrimmage
[ skrim-ij ]
/ ˈskrɪm ɪdʒ /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a rough or vigorous struggle.
Football.
- the action that takes place between the teams from the moment the ball is snapped until it is declared dead.Compare line of scrimmage.
- a practice session or informal game, as that played between two units of the same team.
verb (used with or without object), scrim·maged, scrim·mag·ing.
to engage in a scrimmage.
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Origin of scrimmage
1425–75; late Middle English, variant of scrimish, metathetic form of skirmish
OTHER WORDS FROM scrimmage
scrim·mag·er, nounWords nearby scrimmage
scribbling block, scribbly gum, scribe, scriber, scrim, scrimmage, scrimmage line, scrimp, scrimp and save, scrimpy, scrimshander
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use scrimmage in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for scrimmage
scrimmage
/ (ˈskrɪmɪdʒ) /
noun
a rough or disorderly struggle
American football the clash of opposing linemen at every down
verb
(intr) to engage in a scrimmage
(tr) to put (the ball) into a scrimmage
Derived forms of scrimmage
scrimmager, nounWord Origin for scrimmage
C15: from earlier scrimish, variant of skirmish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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