: a thin growth of beard : stubble
He's lean, and not too tall, with spiky hair, scruff on his chin, and a deep voice.—
Margot Cleary
Margot ClearyThe uniform isn't so much suit and tie as it is plaid shirt, work boots, and two-day scruff.—Laura Regensdorf
Laura RegensdorfExamples of scruff in a Sentence
Noun (1)
She held the kitten by the scruff of its neck.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025
Kurian then grabs Brito by the scruff of the neck and throws him against a wall, and the two men go tumbling to the ground, the footage shows.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2025
At one point another DOC officer, wearing blue latex gloves, yanks him up by the scruff of the neck and drags him to the back of the room by a window.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025
At one point another DOC officer, wearing blue latex gloves, yank him up by the scruff of the neck and drags him to the back of the room by a window.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scruff
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
His official roster photo, though, showed him still with scruff that would not pass the Yankees' previous regulations, leading fans to joke that Williams forced Steinbrenner to make the change.
—Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025
Kurian then grabs Brito by the scruff of the neck and throws him against a wall, and the two men go tumbling to the ground, the footage shows.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2025
At one point another DOC officer, wearing blue latex gloves, yanks him up by the scruff of the neck and drags him to the back of the room by a window.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025
At one point another DOC officer, wearing blue latex gloves, yank him up by the scruff of the neck and drags him to the back of the room by a window.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scruff
Cite this Entry
“Scruff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scruff. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share