scoff
scoff Lexical Profile
scoff Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To speak about someone or something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way.
"Critics used to scoff at the idea of electric cars becoming mainstream."
British To eat something greedily or quickly (used informally).
"The children managed to scoff the entire plate of biscuits before dinner."
• noun
An expression of scornful derision, mockery, or contemptuous dismissal.
"She answered his unrealistic proposal with an audible scoff."
British Food or a meal (used informally).
"The hikers stopped at a roadside pub for some quick scoff before continuing their trek."
• Rhymes for scoff
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The mockery sense originated in Middle English from a Scandinavian source, akin to Old Danish skof ('mockery' or 'jest'). The informal sense meaning 'to eat greedily' arose independently in 19th-century British slang via South African Dutch skof, from Dutch schoft ('quarter of a day' or 'mealtime').