scrimmage

1 of 2

noun

scrim·​mage ˈskri-mij 

1

a

: a minor battle : skirmish

b

: a confused fight : scuffle

2

a

: the interplay between two football teams that begins with the snap of the ball and continues until the ball is dead

b

: practice play (as in football or basketball) between two squads

scrimmage

2 of 2

verb

scrimmaged; scrimmaging

intransitive verb

: to take part in a scrimmage

transitive verb

: to play a scrimmage against

scrimmager noun

Synonyms

Noun

• battle
• clash
• combat
• conflict
• contest
• dustup
• fight
• fracas
• fray
• hassle
• scrap
• scrum
• scuffle
• skirmish
• struggle
• tussle

Verb

• battle
• clash (with)
• combat
• fight
• skirmish (with)
• war (against)

Examples of scrimmage in a Sentence

Noun

The first play from scrimmage netted them a touchdown.

the two players got into a scrimmage off the court and got suspended

Verb

Last weekend we scrimmaged against Bell High.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

What’s worse, Anxiety suffers a panic attack that pushes Riley to her limit during the scrimmage. —Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 17 June 2024

In the film’s third act, Riley’s nerves bubble over when her coach banishes her to the penalty box during her final scrimmage. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 16 June 2024

Verb

Development camp practices occur July 2-3 at Sharks Ice, with the prospects scrimmaging on July 4 at Tech CU Arena. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 13 June 2024

That was right before the Giants played the Eagles the next week and made the Eagles look like a varsity team scrimmaging against the JV’s. —Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English scrymmage, alteration of skyrmissh skirmish

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1536, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing scrimmage

• line of scrimmage
• scrimmage line

Kids Definition

scrimmage

1 of 2 noun

scrim·​mage ˈskrim-ij 

1

: a minor battle : skirmish

2

: the play between two football teams that begins with the snap of the ball

3

: practice play between a team's squads or a practice game between two teams

scrimmage

2 of 2 verb

scrimmaged; scrimmaging

: to take part in a scrimmage

scrimmager noun