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

With 99 scrimmage yards, including 90 on the ground, and two touchdowns, Gibbs became the third Lion (Billy Sims, Barry Sanders) to record 1,000-plus scrimmage yards and 10-plus TDs in his first two seasons. —Colton Pouncy, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024

But nothing really compares to the game — the scrimmages or the practices. —Bob Ferrante, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Nov. 2024

Verb

James has spent some of the past few weeks soaking in the unique opportunity of scrimmaging with his son. —Chantz Martin, Fox News, 2 Oct. 2024

Rockets — Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson have all had experience with the national select team, scrimmaging against the senior team. —Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 22 Aug. 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