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View synonyms for

notch

[noch]

noun

  1. an angular or V -shaped cut, indentation, or slit in an object, surface, or edge.

  2. a cut or nick made in a stick or other object for record, as in keeping a tally.

  3. New England and Upstate New York.a deep, narrow opening or pass between mountains; gap; defile.

  4. Informal.a step, degree, or grade.

    This camera is a notch better than the other.

  5. Metallurgy.a taphole in a blast furnace.

    iron notch; cinder notch.



verb (used with object)

  1. to cut or make a notch in.

  2. to record by notches.

    He notched each kill on the stick.

  3. to score, as in a game.

    He notched another win.

notch

/ ɒʃ /

noun

  1. a V-shaped cut or indentation; nick

  2. a cut or nick made in a tally stick or similar object

  3. a narrow pass or gorge

  4. informala step or level (esp in the phrase a notch above )

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to cut or make a notch in

  2. to record with or as if with a notch

  3. informal(usually foll by up) to score or achieve

    the team notched up its fourth win

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • notchy adjective
  • unnotched adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of notch1

1570–80; a notch (by false division) for an *otch < Old French oche notch
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Word History and Origins

Origin of notch1

C16: from incorrect division of an otch (as a notch ), from Old French oche notch, from Latin Dz to cut off, from to cut
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. notch up / down, to move up or down or increase or decrease by notches or degrees.

    The temperature has notched up another degree.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

There were subtle changes to the Haillet, including a notch in the tongue for laces to pass through and a heel better shaped to protect the Achilles tendon.

From

They expect top notch public services in return.

From

Johnson notched No. 2,500 in inning No. 2,108 — 82 more than it took Sale.

From

Law spent a season with Torino in 1963 and notched up 11 goals of his own before heading back to the UK.

From

“It kind of kicked up a notch this year,” Smart says.

From

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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