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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To mock at or treat with derision.
  2. v. To show or express derision or scorn.
  3. n. An expression of derision or scorn.
  4. v. To eat (food) quickly and greedily.
  5. v. To eat greedily.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. An expression of contempt, derision, or mocking scorn; a taunt; a gibe; a flout.
  2. n. An object of scoffing or scorn; a mark for derision; a butt.
  3. To speak jeeringly or derisively; manifest mockery, derision, or ridicule; utter contemptuous or taunting language; mock; deride: generally with at before the object.
  4. Synonyms Gibe, Jeer, etc. See sneer.
  5. To treat with derision or scorn; mock at; ridicule; deride.
  6. To eat hastily; devour.
  7. n. Food; “grub.”
  8. To steal; carry off.

Wiktionary

  1. n. Derision; ridicule; a derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach.
  2. n. An object of scorn, mockery, or derision.
  3. n. Food.
  4. v. To jeer; laugh at with contempt and derision.
  5. v. To eat food quickly.
  6. v. To eat.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. Derision; ridicule; mockery; derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach.
  2. n. An object of scorn, mockery, or derision.
  3. v. To show insolent ridicule or mockery; to manifest contempt by derisive acts or language; -- often with at.
  4. v. To treat or address with derision; to assail scornfully; to mock at.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. treat with contemptuous disregard
  2. v. laugh at with contempt and derision
  3. n. showing your contempt by derision

Etymologies

  1. Middle English scoffen, from scof, mockery, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish skof, jest, teasing.Alteration of obsolete scaff.

Examples

  • “oh I'm not smug * scoff scoff scoff*, One just prefers a superior * scoff scoff* product”

    The Guardian World News

  • “Who knew I was using the word scoff wrong all these years?”

    Archive 2009-03-01

  • “When I was in the forces (I sound like Uncle Albert …” During the War!”) the only time I wore my uniform off duty was at the end of the working day and I was in barracks getting scoff from the Naafi.”

    Thin Blue Line « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG

  • “This was topic of much debate by other nearby stations in other towns and the officers on one particular shift took great delight in rubbing everyones nose in it about how great the scoff was and all for free.”

    The Pain of Being Pure At Heart « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG

  • “Editor's note: Of course you are going to "scoff" at the engineering Alex.”

    NASA Watch: Policy: January 2004 Archives

  • “We have rigged up a sun shelter and have just dined, our "scoff" (Kaffir for "grub") being bread and bully beef.”

    A Yeoman's Letters Third Edition

  • “How ever could you think that I should "scoff" at any of your magnanimous effusions?”

    Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt

  • “These were such as scoff at sacred and divine subjects.”

    The African preacher : an authentic narrative,

  • “Yes, she is '-- as there was a kind of scoff --' and we are bound on a mission to your King from the King of Scots, and woe to him that touches a feather of ours. ”

    Two Penniless Princesses

  • “And if your book was a bestseller, he'd kind of scoff and go, "Well, teenage girls and/or housewives buy just about anything.”

    NOGOODFORME.COM

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‘scoff’ has been looked up 2244 times, loved by 1 person, added to 29 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 13.