sketched

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

sketch /skɛtʃ/   n. [countable]

1. Fine Art a simply or quickly made drawing or painting, giving the basic features.
2. a rough design, plan, or draft, as of a book.
3. a brief or hasty outline of facts, occurrences, etc.:
   a quick sketch of what had happened.
4. Literature a short piece of writing, usually descriptive.
5. Show Business a short comic piece or routine.

v. 

6. to make a sketch or sketches of (something or someone): [~ + object]
   He sketched a quick drawing of the skyline.
   [no object]
   artists sketching along the river.
7. to set forth or describe in a brief or general way:
   [~ + object] sketched the plan that he would use to trap his enemy.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sketch  (skech), n. 

1. Fine Art a simply or hastily executed drawing or painting, esp. a preliminary one, giving the essential features without the details.
2. a rough design, plan, or draft, as of a book.
3. a brief or hasty outline of facts, occurrences, etc.:
   a sketch of his life.
4. Literature a short, usually descriptive, essay, history, or story.
5. Show Business a short play or slight dramatic performance, as one forming part of a vaudeville program.

v.t. 

6. to make a sketch of.
7. to set forth in a brief or general account:
   He sketched his own part in the affair.
8. Metallurgy (in a steel mill or the like) to mark (a piece) for cutting.

v.i. 

9. to make a sketch or sketches.

• Greek schédios
• Latin schedium extemporaneous poem, noun, nominal use of neuter of schedius extempore
• Dutch schets (noun, nominal) Italian schizzo
• 1660–70

sketch′er, n. 
sketch′ing•ly, adv. 
sketch′like′, adj. 
Synonyms

• 2. outline.
• 5. skit, act, routine.
• 6. draw, outline, design, rough out, delineate, represent. See depict. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sketch / skɛtʃ/ noun

1. a rapid drawing or painting, often a study for subsequent elaboration
2. a brief usually descriptive and informal essay or other literary composition
3. a short play, often comic, forming part of a revue
4. a short evocative piece of instrumental music, esp for piano
5. any brief outline

verb

1. to make a rough drawing (of)
2. (transitive) often followed by out: to make a brief description of

Etymology: 17th Century: from Dutch schets, via Italian from Latin schedius hastily made, from Greek skhedios unprepared

ˈsketcher noun