notch

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a V-shaped indentation
b
: a slit made to serve as a record
c
: a rounded indentation cut into the pages of a book on the edge opposite the spine
2
: a deep close pass : gap
3
notched adjective

notch

2 of 2

verb

notched; notching; notches

transitive verb

1
: to cut or make a notch in
2
a
: to mark or record by a notch
b
: score, achieve
sometimes used with up

Did you know?

Occasionally, you might hear a child ask for a "napple," as in "I would like a napple," mistaking the phrase "an apple" for "a napple." A similar error is believed to be behind notch, which may have resulted from a misdivision of "an otch." (Otch is a noun that is assumed to have existed in earlier English as a borrowing of Middle French oche, meaning "an incision made to keep a record.") Notch would not be alone in developing from such a mistake. The words newt and nickname were formed, respectively, from misdivisions of "an ewte" and "an ekename." Going in the other direction, umpire first appears in Middle English as oumpere, a mistaken rendering of "a noumpere."

Examples of notch in a Sentence

Noun Cut small notches at the corners of the fabric. The tool has a notch for prying out nails. The town is on the other side of the notch. They turned the volume up several notches. Verb Notch the ends so that they fit together. He notched his fifth victory this year.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
After being spotted by fans on a casual mall date the previous day, the pair stepped things up a notch for dinner at Singapore's Koma restaraunt. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2024 The deeper the notch, the quicker the mechanism switches to the first day of the subsequent month. Bhanu Chopra, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 His connection with Travis Kelce is particularly potent, with the two bumping the likes of Jerry Rice, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski down a notch in the record books. USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Floating leaves are rounded, with deep notches at one side where the leafstalk is attached. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2024 The degree of difficulty goes up a notch against Mead. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 29 Feb. 2024 This accessory takes that everyday outfit up a notch. Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024 Confidence: Medium-High The warming trend kicks it up a notch on Monday under partly sunny skies. David Streit, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 Opt for one with a deep-soaking tub to kick your post-practice relaxation up a notch. Julia Eskins, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
Lego reported a 2% growth in revenue, notching up nearly DKK 66 billion ($9.7 billion) for last year, compared to a year earlier. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024 For the former, Huller herself notched the nomination for Best Actress. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Watkins notched her first points from the floor with 4:37 left in the third quarter, a layup, giving USC an 11-point lead. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2024 In addition to Blunt’s nod, Oppenheimer notched the most nominations of any film at this year’s ceremony with 13. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The nation's biggest supermarket chain notched a $736 million profit on sales of $37.1 billion in the three months ended Feb. 3. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 The result puts Trump back on the winning track, which was briefly interrupted on Sunday when Haley notched her first victory of the campaign in the District of Columbia’s primary. Jack Dura, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 First of all, the market had a couple of down days recently — but that’s AFTER the S&P 500 hit an all-time high and notched its 13th record close on Friday. Moneyshow, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Their friends the fast-food and short-order cooks are about as likely to require no education at all, but dishwashers bubble up to the top by notching a huge number in an even more restrictive category: jobs that don’t require education or literacy to be performed well. Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'notch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps alteration (from misdivision of an otch) of *otch, from Middle French oche

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of notch was circa 1560

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Dictionary Entries Near notch

Cite this Entry

“Notch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notch. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

notch

1 of 2 noun
1
: a cut in the shape of a V in an edge or surface
2
: a narrow pass between mountains : gap
3
: degree sense 1, step
turn the radio up a notch

notch

2 of 2 verb
1
: to cut or make a notch in
2
a
: to mark or record by a notch

Medical Definition

notch

noun
: a V-shaped indentation (as on a bone)
notched adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on notch

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