scruff
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
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informal an untidy scruffy person
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informal a disreputable person, ruffian
-
another name for scum
noun
Etymology
Origin of scruff1
1780–90; variant of dial. scuff, scuft < Dutch schoft horse's withers
Origin of scruff2
Metathetic variant of scurf
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.
The latest polls show Hilton is leading along with the clean-shaven Democrat Xavier Becerra, suggesting voters in November will have a choice between scruff and no scruff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
Jacks took the game by the scruff of the neck after England stuttered to 105-5 in the 13th over.
From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026
Moriarty figures heavily in the opening episodes of “Sherlock & Daughter” too, although Dougray Scott lends a malevolent scruff to him that Park’s interpretation tidies up.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
They desperately needed someone to stand up and take the game by the scruff of the neck.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2025
Big Ma had grabbed them by the first scruff of fabric she could get ahold of, bent down, and told them to “act right.”
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
