What does "scrag" mean?
A thin or scrawny person or animal.
Scrag
noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A thin or scrawny person or animal.
- Grammar: scrag is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: and quarter, assault, beanpole, beat.
- Useful contrasts: burly individual, defend, hefty person.
- Usage evidence: In any event he might have wakened the long scrag by so doing.
How to use "scrag"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scrag" 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 "scrag" 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 "scrag" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scrag" 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 "scrag" 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 "and quarter" 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 "scrag", 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 thin or scrawny person or animal. archaic
"In any event he might have wakened the long scrag by so doing."
- 2 the lean end of a neck of veal wordnet
- 3 The lean end of a neck of mutton; the scrag end. archaic
"The butcher and the porkman painted up only the leanest scrags of meat; the baker, the coarsest of meagre loaves."
- 4 lean end of the neck wordnet
- 5 The neck, especially of a sheep. archaic
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a person who is unusually thin and scrawny wordnet
- 7 A scrog. Scotland
- 8 A chav or ned; a stereotypically loud and aggressive person of lower social class. UK, derogatory, slang
- 9 A rough or unkempt woman. Australia, derogatory, slang
"The large guy said that he couldnt sit down the front because of an eye condition, and she said, out loud, "too bad, go down the front". This was all heard by most of the crowd, 1 guy called her a bitch, i spoke out loud "what a scrag" which her boyfriend heard, he turned around agro like to defend her, when another guy yelled out "if you get agro about that son, ill be over there to show your girlfriend some manners", to which he promplty sat down :-), but after that she put her feet up on the seat in front of her !!"
- 10 A ragged, stunted tree or branch.
Verb
- 1 To hang on a gallows, or to choke, garotte, or strangle. colloquial, obsolete
"An enthusiastic mob will scrag me to a certainty the day war breaks out."
- 2 wring the neck of wordnet
- 3 To harass; to manhandle.
"'...I urged him ... to ... try the Ickenham System ... a little thing I knocked together in my bachelor days ... it has a good many points in common with all-in wrestling and osteopathy. I generally recommend it to diffident wooers and it always works like magic...' Johnny stared. 'You mean you told McMurdo to … scrag her?'"
- 4 strangle with an iron collar wordnet
- 5 To destroy or kill.
"[...] I went out lookin' for a line of retreat for my men. A man found me. I abolished him—privatim—scragged him."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"In any event he might have wakened the long scrag by so doing."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scrag"?
Common synonyms include: and quarter, assault, beanpole, beat, call off, cancel.
How do you use "scrag" in a sentence?
In any event he might have wakened the long scrag by so doing.
Etymology
Perhaps related to Norwegian skragg (a lean person), dialectal Swedish skragge (old and torn thing), Danish skrog (hull, carcass); perhaps related to shrink.