sketch

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a rough drawing representing the chief features of an object or scene and often made as a preliminary study
b
: a tentative draft (as for a literary work)
2
: a brief description (as of a person) or outline
3
a
: a short literary composition somewhat resembling the short story and the essay but intentionally slight in treatment, discursive in style, and familiar in tone
b
: a short instrumental composition usually for piano
c
: a slight theatrical piece having a single scene
especially : a comic variety act

sketch

2 of 2

verb

sketched; sketching; sketches

transitive verb

: to make a sketch, rough draft, or outline of

intransitive verb

: to draw or paint a sketch
sketcher noun

Examples of sketch in a Sentence

Noun He made a sketch of his house. He wrote up a sketch of the plot. There is a biographical sketch of the author on the book's back cover. Verb He sketched the trees outside his window. He likes to sit outside and sketch. She sketched the plan for us.
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, Good Burger was based on a sketch the comedy duo did on the kid network's All That. Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025 Musk also took aim at the long-running NBC sketch comedy show. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
With the funding, city staff will sketch out a pedestrian refuge island at the curve in the street, as well as a pedestrian warning signal. Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 24 Mar. 2025 Since cumulative complexity appears not to be the most important difference, several researchers are sketching out a new perspective: Human culture is uniquely open-ended. Eli Elster, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sketch

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Dutch schets, from Italian schizzo, literally, splash, from schizzare to splash, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Noun

1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1694, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of sketch was in 1668

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sketch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sketch. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

sketch

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a rough drawing representing the chief features of an object or scene
b
: a rough draft (as of a story)
2
: a brief description or outline
3
: a short comedy piece

sketch

2 of 2 verb
1
: to make a sketch, rough draft, or outline of
2
: to draw or paint a sketch
sketcher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sketch

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