notch

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 orV-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 orV-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
notch′y, 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):
carve - cranny - crenate - crenel - crop - hack - incision - indent - jag - joggle - nick - nock - oche - score - shard - snick - spindle - tally - top-notch - umbilication - undercut - bannerstone - bird's mouth - bootjack - chop mark - crenation - crenature - crenulate - dap - falcon - gab - gain - gash - gorge - hitch - house - incisure - indentation - indention - jingle shell - jog - mortise - notch baby - notchback - notched collar - open sight - pass - peg - rabbet - retuse
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...

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