scab

1 of 2

noun

1
: scabies of domestic animals
2
: a crust of hardened blood and serum over a wound
3
a
: a contemptible person
b(1)
: a worker who refuses to join a labor union
(2)
: a union member who refuses to strike or returns to work before a strike has ended
(3)
: a worker who accepts employment or replaces a union worker during a strike
(4)
: one who works for less than union wages or on nonunion terms
4
: any of various bacterial or fungus diseases of plants characterized by crustaceous spots
also : one of the spots

scab

2 of 2

verb

scabbed; scabbing

intransitive verb

1
: to become covered with a scab
2
: to act as a scab

Examples of scab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This soon began to weep, then a long, brownish scab formed over it. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024 Little by little the scab loosened and fell off, leaving a shiny pink mark. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024
Verb
Yet as the summer progresses, raw wounds begin to scab over, as father and daughter begin to truly see each other once more — though the film, restrained to the last, holds off on any grandly cathartic embraces or gestures of reconciliation. Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Oct. 2024 The crust eventually scabs off, leaving a red welt that can sometimes take a few weeks to calm down. Mark Hay, SELF, 26 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for scab 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scab.' 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

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish skabbr scab; akin to Old English sceabb scab, Latin scabere to scratch — more at shave

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1683, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scab was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near scab

Cite this Entry

“Scab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scab. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

scab

1 of 2 noun
1
: scabies of domestic animals
2
: a crust chiefly of hardened blood that forms over and protects a wound
3
: a worker who takes the place of a striking worker
4
: a plant disease in which crusted spots form on stems or leaves

scab

2 of 2 verb
scabbed; scabbing
1
: to become covered with a scab
2
: to act as a scab

Medical Definition

scab

1 of 2 noun
1
: scabies of domestic animals
2
: a hardened covering of dried secretions (as blood, plasma, or pus) that forms over a wound

called also crust

scabby adjective
scabbier; scabbiest

scab

2 of 2 intransitive verb
scabbed; scabbing
: to become covered with a scab
the wound scabbed over

Legal Definition

scab

noun
1
: a worker who refuses to join a labor union
2
: a union member who refuses to strike or returns to work before a strike has ended
3
: a worker who accepts employment or replaces a union worker during a strike : strikebreaker
4
: one who works for less than union wages or on nonunion terms
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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