sketch

American  

[skech] / skɛtʃ /

noun

• sketches
  plural

1. a simply or hastily executed drawing or painting, especially a preliminary one, giving the essential features without the details.

2. a rough design, plan, or draft, as of a book.

   Synonyms:

   outline

3. a brief or hasty outline of facts, occurrences, etc..

   a sketch of his life.

4. a short, usually descriptive, essay, history, or story.

5. a short play or slight dramatic performance, as one forming part of a vaudeville program.

   Synonyms:

   routine, act, skit

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verb (used with object)

• sketches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sketched,
  past participle,  past
• sketching
  present participle

1. to make a sketch of.

   Synonyms:

   represent, delineate, design, outline, draw

2. to set forth in a brief or general account.

   He sketched his own part in the affair.

3. Metallurgy. (in a steel mill or the like) to mark (a piece) for cutting.

verb (used without object)

• sketches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sketched,
  past participle,  past
• sketching
  present participle

1. to make a sketch or sketches.

sketch British  

/ skɛtʃ /

noun

1. a rapid drawing or painting, often a study for subsequent elaboration

2. a brief usually descriptive and informal essay or other literary composition

3. a short play, often comic, forming part of a revue

4. a short evocative piece of instrumental music, esp for piano

5. any brief outline

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verb

1. to make a rough drawing (of)

2. to make a brief description of

Usage

What is a basic definition of sketch? A sketch is a drawing or painting that is usually made quickly and lacks finer details. Sketch is also used to mean to create a sketch of something. A sketch can also be a short dramatic performance. Sketch has a few other senses as a verb and a noun. Most artists begin with a sketch, or many sketches, before they work on what will be the final product, such as an oil painting. For example, cartoonists will often make a sketch of a new character without colors, shading, or detailed lines so they can get feedback before putting in too much effort. A painter may draw a sketch of landscape with colored pencils so they can figure out the best colors and shades that would go well together.

• Real-life examples: Many artists would be happy to draw a sketch of something for you if you pay them the right price. Police will often create a sketch of a suspect based on a witness’s description of them. You can find many early sketches of famous characters like Mickey Mouse and SpongeBob SquarePants on the internet.
• Used in a sentence: The artist made several sketches of the model before beginning his work on the elaborate portrait. 

In this same sense, sketch is used as a verb to mean to draw a sketch of something.

• Used in a sentence: I sketched a cat in my notebook during the boring lecture. 

A sketch is also a short dramatic performance, especially one that is part of a comedy show. Comedic performances that consist solely of a collection of short, humorous stories are known as sketch comedy.

• Real-life examples: Saturday Night Live, The Kids in the Hall, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and Sesame Street are television programs that all use sketches.
• Used in a sentence: Chris Farley was in most of my favorite sketches from Saturday Night Live.

Synonym Usage

See depict.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sketcher
  noun
• resketch
  verb (used with object)
• sketchable
  adjective
• sketchlike
  adjective
• unsketched
  adjective
• well-sketched
  adjective
• sketchingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sketches
  plural

Participles

• sketching
  present
• sketched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sketch
  simple
• sketches
  simple
• have sketched
  perfect
• has sketched
  perfect
• am sketching
  progressive
• are sketching
  progressive
• is sketching
  progressive
• have been sketching
  perfect progressive
• has been sketching
  perfect progressive

Past

• sketched
  simple
• had sketched
  perfect
• was sketching
  progressive
• were sketching
  progressive
• had been sketching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sketch
  simple
• will have sketched
  perfect
• will be sketching
  progressive
• will have been sketching
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of sketch

1660–70; < Dutch schets (noun) ≪ Italian schizzo < Latin schedium extemporaneous poem, noun use of neuter of schedius extempore < Greek schédios

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Explanation

A sketch is a rough or brief outline of something. If you hand in a sketch, instead of your full paper, don't expect to get a very high grade! The word sketch can be used when talking about something visual, particularly a drawing. An artist might sketch a friend in an hour, and then go home and take weeks to complete the portrait. A sketch can also refer to a short verbal or narrative account. You might want to give your friend a brief sketch of what happened to you today, instead of boring her with every last detail, including the hours you spent washing and then folding your laundry.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sketch sketches sketched sketching

They are like the sketch from the “Weekend Update” segment of “Saturday Night Live” in which Jane Wickline played Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Michael Che an interviewer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

With a regular budget of $10,000 a month for your everyday needs, your chance of success — meaning, your money outlives you — was 99%, according to the sketch of your situation in Boldin.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Her performance drew criticism from former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, now a TV news host, who compared it to a "Saturday Night Live" comedy sketch.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

The sketch also mocked a controversial Department of War logo, with a sailor asking whether it featured a Nazi eagle.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

I was worried about my sketch pad getting wet through the canvas backpack.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

A portfolio of sketches was thought likely to reveal the novice’s level of work and thought and innermost graphic personality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Ms. Siman Tov sketches for me the argument of those who voted for rebuilding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Dating back to the 19th century, the masterpiece was based on sketches made in Rome.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

She’s finally been upgraded to a repertory player and is likely to continue to play the lead in sketches featuring her grounded, emotionally shaky characters, some of whom have terrible haircuts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

The sketches will be easy; the chem stuff, not so much.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Since taking over the World Bank in 2023, the former Mastercard CEO has sketched an ambitious plan to fight poverty by addressing an estimated shortfall in the developing world of 800 million jobs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Bessent sketched a scenario where the government benefits from growth fueled by the artificial-intelligence build-out, reshored manufacturing and tax cuts for consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Margaret Keane’s big-eyed children gaze unabashedly at a girl sketched by Pablo Picasso, and cartoonist Rose O’Neill rubs elbows with Vincent van Gogh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Thatcher, though, was far and away the best part of both films, bringing a striking depth to her thinly sketched characters.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

The structures along the river were now nought but torrents of fire, liquid and rushing; whatever features as remained—lintels, doorframes, and roof-trees—were sketched with dark charcoal smudges in the midst of red activity.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

But research emerging from around the world has been sketching a different picture.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Reports have painted a picture of a decidedly low-key existence for the actor on the island, with Carrey spending his time reading, writing, walking, painting, and sketching.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

The book examines M in her antiseptic superstar’s habitat, sketching scenes of her business meetings, social outings, spa treatments and public events.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Partis was also sketching the heron as he watched.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

Ben slings his backpack to the ground, takes out his book, and starts sketching.

From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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Related Words

• account
• blueprint
• cartoon
• chart
• copy
• depiction
• description
• illustration
• likeness
• painting
• picture
• piece
• portrayal
• summary
• version
• vignette

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