- a rectangular, triangular, or long narrow piece of cloth worn around the head, neck, or shoulders for warmth or decoration
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
scarf1 /skɑrf/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. scarfs, scarves /skɑrvz/USA pronunciation
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Clothinga long strip of cloth worn about the neck.
scarf1
(skärf ),USA pronunciation n., pl. scarfs, scarves (skärvz),USA pronunciation
v.
n.
v.t.
scarf′less, adj.
scarf′like′,
adj.
scarf2 (skärf ),USA pronunciation n., pl. scarfs, v.
n.
v.t.
scarf′er, n.
scarf3 (skärf ),USA pronunciation v.t., v.i. [Slang.]
n.
- Clothinga long, broad strip of wool, silk, lace, or other material worn about the neck, shoulders, or head, for ornament or protection against cold, drafts, etc.;
muffler. - Clothinga necktie or cravat with hanging ends.
- a long cover or ornamental cloth for a bureau, table, etc.
v.t.
- Clothingto cover or wrap with or as if with a scarf.
- Clothingto use in the manner of a scarf.
- perh. special use of scarf2 1545–55
scarf′like′,
adj.
scarf2 (skärf ),USA pronunciation n., pl. scarfs, v.
n.
- Nautical, Naval Termsa tapered or otherwise-formed end on each of the pieces to be assembled with a scarf joint.
- [Whaling.]a strip of skin along the body of the whale.
v.t.
- Nautical, Naval Termsto assemble with a scarf joint.
- Nautical, Naval Termsto form a scarf on (the end of a timber).
- Metallurgy[Steelmaking.]to burn away the surface defects of (newly rolled steel).
- [Whaling.]to make a groove in and remove (the blubber and skin).
- Old Norse skarfr (derivative of skera to cut) end cut from a beam (hence perh. a piece of cloth cut off, i.e., scarf1); compare Swedish skarv patch
- 1490–1500
scarf3 (skärf ),USA pronunciation v.t., v.i. [Slang.]
- Slang Termsto eat, esp. voraciously (often fol. by down or up):to scarf down junk food.
- variant of scoff2, with r inserted probably through r-dialect speakers' mistaking the underlying vowel as an r-less ar 1955–60, American.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
scarf /skɑːf/ n ( pl scarves /skɑːvz/, scarfs
scarf /skɑːf/ n ( pl scarfs)
- Also called: scarf joint, scarfed joint a lapped joint between two pieces of timber made by notching or grooving the ends and strapping, bolting, or gluing the two pieces together
- the end of a piece of timber shaped to form such a joint
- an incision made along a whale's body before stripping off the blubber
- to join (two pieces of timber) by means of a scarf
- to make a scarf on (a piece of timber)
- to cut a scarf in (a whale)