scruff

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈskrʌf/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/skrʌf/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(skruf )


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
scruff1 /skrʌf/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Anatomythe nape or back of the neck.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
scruff1  (skruf ),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Anatomythe nape or back of the neck.
  • Dutch schoft horse's withers
  • variant of dialect, dialectal scuff, scuft 1780–90

scruff2  (skruf ),USA pronunciation n. [Metall.]
  1. Metallurgy(in tin-plating) dross formed in the bath.
  • metathetic variant of scurf

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
scruff / skrʌf/
  1. the nape of the neck (esp in the phrase by the scruff of the neck)
Etymology: 18th Century: variant of scuft, perhaps from Old Norse skoft hair; related to Old High German scuft
scruff / skrʌf/
  1. an untidy scruffy person
  2. a disreputable person; ruffian
  3. another name for scum3
'scruff' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
scruffy - scum

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


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