scrimmage

[skrim-ij]

See more synonyms for scrimmage on Thesaurus.com

noun

a rough or vigorous struggle.
Football.
1. the action that takes place between the teams from the moment the ball is snapped until it is declared dead.Compare line of scrimmage.
2. 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.

Origin of scrimmage

1425–75; late Middle English, variant of scrimish, metathetic form of skirmish

Related formsscrim·mag·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for scrimmage

Contemporary Examples

One of them, Troy Jones, a 19-year-old aspiring photojournalist, remembered Brown from the scrimmage line.
'Go Ahead and Shoot Me': The Veteran Who Defied Ferguson's Cops
Justin Glawe
August 13, 2014
The real line of scrimmage in American politics is the economy.
Government Shutdown Melodrama Won’t Matter on Election Day 2016
Stuart Stevens
September 23, 2013
After the scrimmage, Bustin said Lloyd was “in good spirits and everything seemed to be fine … A lot of the guys go out,” he said.
Aaron Hernandez: Inside the Murder Investigation Roiling the NFL
Christine Pelisek
June 21, 2013
“He was mentoring a younger guy in the scrimmage about technique you should use,” he said.
Aaron Hernandez: Inside the Murder Investigation Roiling the NFL
Christine Pelisek
June 21, 2013

Historical Examples

Outnumbered twenty to one, they began to go down in the scrimmage.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
How will it go with young O'Shea about this scrimmage, will it be serious?'
Lord Kilgobbin
Charles Lever
He was ashamed 172 because he had shown the white feather in the scrimmage.
The Pirate of Panama
William MacLeod Raine
They had been in a scrimmage with the Chippewas and had their wounded with them and many gory scalps, too.
Old Rail Fence Corners
Various
I must have dropped it, sir, in the scrimmage—it was awful 'ot, sir!
On the Heels of De Wet
The Intelligence Officer

British Dictionary definitions for scrimmage

scrimmage

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 Formsscrimmager, noun

Word Origin

C15: from earlier scrimish, variant of skirmish

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

Word Origin and History for scrimmage

n.

sometimes also scrummage, late 15c., alteration of skirmish (n.). Meaning in rugby and U.S. football dates from 1857, originally "a confused struggle between players."

v.

1825, "quarrel, argue," from scrimmage (n.). Team sports sense is from 1881. Related: Scrimmaged; scrimmaging.

scrimmage

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Examples from the Web for scrimmage

Contemporary Examples

One of them, Troy Jones, a 19-year-old aspiring photojournalist, remembered Brown from the scrimmage line.

The real line of scrimmage in American politics is the economy.

After the scrimmage, Bustin said Lloyd was “in good spirits and everything seemed to be fine … A lot of the guys go out,” he said.

“He was mentoring a younger guy in the scrimmage about technique you should use,” he said.

Historical Examples

Outnumbered twenty to one, they began to go down in the scrimmage.

How will it go with young O'Shea about this scrimmage, will it be serious?'

He was ashamed 172 because he had shown the white feather in the scrimmage.

They had been in a scrimmage with the Chippewas and had their wounded with them and many gory scalps, too.

I must have dropped it, sir, in the scrimmage—it was awful 'ot, sir!

scrimmage

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for scrimmage

n.

v.

Origin of scrimmage