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⇱ notch - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


notch

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈnɒtʃ/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/nɑtʃ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(noch)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
notch /nɑtʃ/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. an angled or-shaped cut in the edge or top of something.
  2. an amount within a scale;
    degree:She's a notch above the average.

v. 
  1. [+ object] to make a notch or notches in.
  2. to score;
    to add to one's record:[~ (+ up) + object]The pitcher notched (up) another win.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
notch  (noch),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. an angular or-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 Eng. 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. [Metall.]a taphole in a blast furnace:iron notch; cinder notch.

v.t. 
  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.
  4. Idioms notch up or down, to move up or down or increase or decrease by notches or degrees:The temperature has notched up another degree.
  • Old French oche notch
  • a notch (by false division) for an *otch 1570–80
notchy, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
notch /nɒtʃ/ n
  1. a V-shaped cut or indentation; nick
  2. a cut or nick made in a tally stick or similar object
  3. US Canadian a narrow pass or gorge
  4. informal a step or level (esp in the phrase a notch above)
  5. a small area removed from the bezel of an electronic device in order to increase the functional screen area
vb (transitive)
  1. to cut or make a notch in
  2. to record with or as if with a notch
  3. (usually followed by up) informal to score or achieve: the team notched up its fourth win
Etymology: 16th Century: from incorrect division of an otch (as a notch), from Old French oche notch, from Latin obsecāre to cut off, from secāre to cut
'notch' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: let's take it up a notch, it's time to take it up a notch, the [quality, service] has gone [up, down] a notch (since), more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "notch" in the title:

bring it down a notch
Bring/take down a notch
bump it up a notch
calm down a notch (BE)
can we take it down a notch?
dial it down a notch
fee notch
go a notch or two below the top
He was top notch at...
her smile slipped a notch
I could kick that up a notch
identified by a 'notch'
Kick it up the notch
knock down a peg or two / take down a notch or two
Knock it up a notch/get knocked up a notch
levered a smile up a notch
more a notch in her belt than a feather on her cap
move a notch - idiomatic?
Notch higher
notch on his pelt
notch screen without any <chin>
notch something on the stick
Notch up another .... [count]
notch up minutes
overhead notch
put me to shame/outfaced me/ took me down a notch
She was no notch in his belt, no fling
Squeezing in a top-notch luxury
stocks notch steepest monthly loss
Take down a notch
more...

Look up "notch" at Merriam-Webster
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