sketch

American  

[skech] / skɛtʃ /

noun

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)

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)

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.

Related Words

See depict.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of sketch

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

Example Sentences

But the 41-year-old's womenswear collection in September didn't convince everyone, and some observers expect him to put a more decisive mark on Dior and cement the new identity he's begun sketching out.

From Barron's

She tried sketch writing, late-night TV writing, spec writing, but she quickly learned she didn’t actually want to write sketches or late-night monologues.

From Los Angeles Times

The 41-year-old Northern Irish designer is considered one of the leading talents of his generation, but now needs to convince and cement the new identity he's sketching out for Dior Homme.

From Barron's

Sometimes the best “SNL” sketch isn’t just the funniest, but the one that is perfectly timed, with exactly the right host for just the moment in the zeitgeist for it to hit the hardest.

From Los Angeles Times

Kianna Underwood, a cast member of the former Nickelodeon children’s sketch comedy series “All That,” was killed in a hit-and-run accident early Friday in Brooklyn, N.Y., authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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