What does "scoff" mean?
A derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach.
Scoff
/skɒf/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach.
- Grammar: scoff is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: mockery, affront, aspersion, atrocity.
- Useful contrasts: admiration, admire, approval.
- Usage evidence: Outsiders tend to scoff at Esperanto as an idealistic waste of time.
How to use "scoff"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scoff" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "scoff" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "scoff" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scoff" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "scoff" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "mockery" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "scoff", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach.
"VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, / In open Market-place produc't they me, / To be a publique ſpectacle to all: / Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, / The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo."
- 2 Food. British-Army, Newfoundland, South-Africa, countable, slang, uncountable
- 3 showing your contempt by derision wordnet
- 4 An object of scorn, mockery, or derision.
"[T]he scoff of wither'd age and beardless youth […]"
- 5 The act of eating. countable, slang, uncountable
"Lunch for the busy has become a quick scoff of processed, terrifyingly orange couscous, […]"
Verb
- 1 To jeer; to laugh with contempt and derision. intransitive
"Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, / And fools who came to scoff, remained to pray."
- 2 To eat food quickly. British, Newfoundland, slang
"The numbers thin out the further we get from London, so I don't feel guilty when I remove my mask momentarily to scoff some of the snacks I'd bought at Marylebone."
- 3 treat with contemptuous disregard wordnet
- 4 To mock; to treat with scorn. transitive
- 5 To eat. British-Army, Newfoundland, South-Africa, slang
Show 1 more definition
- 6 laugh at with contempt and derision wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Outsiders tend to scoff at Esperanto as an idealistic waste of time."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scoff"?
Common synonyms include: mockery, affront, aspersion, atrocity, back answer, barrack.
How do you use "scoff" in a sentence?
Outsiders tend to scoff at Esperanto as an idealistic waste of time.
How do you pronounce "scoff"?
Pronounced /skɒf/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English scof, skof, probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Old Norse skaup, Old Danish skof, Old Frisian skof (“insult, shame”), and Old High German scoph.
Etymology 2
A variant, attested since the mid 19th century, of scaff, of uncertain origin. Compare scarf (“eat quickly”).