: a thin growth of beard : stubble
He's lean, and not too tall, with spiky hair, scruff on his chin, and a deep voice.—
Margot Cleary
Margot ClearyThe uniform isn't so much suit and tie as it is plaid shirt, work boots, and two-day scruff.—Laura Regensdorf
Laura Regensdorf
Examples of scruff in a Sentence
Noun (1)
She held the kitten by the scruff of its neck.
Recent Examples on the WebEmily Zentner, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Lean and mean, eyes fixed, raffish with his unbuttoned collar and scruff, Sherman looks alive, alert, and every bit the eternal soldier.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
To accessorize, Alwyn added a little facial scruff, a silver bracelet, and pointed-toe black boots.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 16 Nov. 2023
Harmon sported some scruff while at the 1981 Eddie Awards.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 1 Sep. 2023
The suspect is described as a man in his 40s or 50s with gray scruff, police said.
—Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 9 May 2023
Comfortable with animals from growing up surrounded by wilderness, the Alaskan woman confidently picked up the opossum by its neck scruff and gently escorted it outside.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2023
A little of this medium-weight balm goes a long way to style and shape longer beards, while still deeply moisturizing your scruff with shea butter.
—Cristina Montemayor, Men's Health, 11 Jan. 2023
Affleck opted for a standard blue button-up with a pair of dark wash jeans and sneakers—along with the signature scruff he’s had since his early days with Jenny.
—Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 22 July 2022
Noun
Shelter officials suspect that a larger dog may have attacked the puppies, picking them up and shaking them by their scruffs.
—Emily Zentner, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Lean and mean, eyes fixed, raffish with his unbuttoned collar and scruff, Sherman looks alive, alert, and every bit the eternal soldier.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
To accessorize, Alwyn added a little facial scruff, a silver bracelet, and pointed-toe black boots.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 16 Nov. 2023
Harmon sported some scruff while at the 1981 Eddie Awards.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 1 Sep. 2023
The suspect is described as a man in his 40s or 50s with gray scruff, police said.
—Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 9 May 2023
Comfortable with animals from growing up surrounded by wilderness, the Alaskan woman confidently picked up the opossum by its neck scruff and gently escorted it outside.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2023
A little of this medium-weight balm goes a long way to style and shape longer beards, while still deeply moisturizing your scruff with shea butter.
—Cristina Montemayor, Men's Health, 11 Jan. 2023
Affleck opted for a standard blue button-up with a pair of dark wash jeans and sneakers—along with the signature scruff he’s had since his early days with Jenny.
—Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 22 July 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scruff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near scruff
Cite this Entry
“Scruff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scruff. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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