scarf
gb/skˈɑɹf/ us/skˈɑɹf/
A2
Anglais
~ 9900
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
entity
1
long cloth worn on neck
A long piece of cloth that people wear around their neck or head to stay warm or look nice.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] wears a scarf
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse "scarf" with "shawl". A scarf is usually long and narrow and is mainly for the neck or head, while a shawl is wider and often covers the shoulders and upper body.
Synonymes
shawl (Usually wider and worn over the shoulders as well as around the neck or head.)
Antonymes
bare (Describes the neck or head with no covering, the opposite of wearing a scarf.)
Collocations
winter scarf
|wool scarf
|silk scarf
|head scarf
|wrap a scarf
|striped scarf
Thèmes
daily life
|fashion
|weather
|clothing
|daily_life
Exemples
- She wrapped a thick wool scarf around her neck before going outside.
- He forgot his scarf and shivered all the way to work.
- Many women in the region wear a light scarf over their hair.
- I bought a bright red scarf to match my coat.
- The wind was so strong that his scarf blew off into the street.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I put on a scarf because it is cold.
- Her blue scarf looks very nice with that dress.
- He wears a scarf around his head in the sun.
- Can I borrow your scarf for a minute?
- My mother knit this scarf for me.
Verbe
informal
B2
action
2
eat something very quickly
To eat food very fast, usually because you are very hungry and do not think about manners.
Schéma d’usage :
scarf [something] (down/up)
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes use "scarf" as a verb in formal writing. This sense is informal; in formal contexts, use verbs like "eat quickly" or "devour" instead. Also, learners may omit the particle and say "scarf down it"; the natural order is "scarf it down".
Synonymes
devour (Slightly more formal and vivid; can sound more dramatic or literary than "scarf".)
Antonymes
savor (Means to eat slowly and with pleasure, the opposite of eating quickly and carelessly.)
Collocations
scarf down lunch
|scarf a burger
|scarf it down
|scarf up the leftovers
|scarf my fries
Thèmes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
Exemples
- We only had ten minutes, so we scarfed our sandwiches down in the car.
- He came home from practice and scarfed an entire pizza by himself.
- Everyone was so hungry that they scarfed up the snacks in a few minutes.
- She scarfed down her dinner and ran back to her desk.
- The kids scarfed the cookies so fast that I hardly got one.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He was very hungry and scarfed his food down.
- They scarfed the cake in five minutes.
- She scarfed up the fries and licked her fingers.
- We scarfed our lunch before the meeting.
- I told him not to scarf his dinner so fast.
Verbe
technical
C1
action
3
join materials with scarf joint
To connect two long pieces of wood or metal by cutting their ends and overlapping them so they fit together.
Schéma d’usage :
scarf [two pieces of wood/metal] together
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this technical verb with the everyday noun "scarf" (clothing) or the informal verb meaning "to eat quickly". In building or engineering texts, "scarf" usually refers to this joining process, not clothing or eating.
Synonymes
splice (A more general technical term for joining pieces, not limited to scarf joints.)
Antonymes
separate (To take pieces apart rather than join them into one length.)
Collocations
scarf two beams together
|scarf the timbers
|scarfed connection
|carefully scarf the joint
|scarf the planks
Thèmes
construction
|engineering
|crafts
|work
|science
Exemples
- The shipwrights scarfed the damaged section of the keel to a new length of timber.
- You need to scarf these two beams so the joint can carry the load safely.
- The carpenter scarfed the boards together to create a longer, continuous surface.
- In restoration work, we often scarf new wood into old structural members.
- Engineers decided to scarf the rails instead of replacing the entire track length.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The builder scarfed two short beams to make one long beam.
- They scarfed a new piece of wood into the old frame.
- The workers will scarf the planks before they lay the floor.
- He showed us how to scarf two metal bars together.
- The carpenter scarfed the boards instead of using a new long board.
Nom
technical
C2
entity
4
joint made by overlapping ends
A special kind of joint where two pieces of wood or metal have cut ends that overlap so they join into one long piece.
Schéma d’usage :
a scarf in [a beam/rail/etc.]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think "scarf joint" is related to clothing. In technical texts, "scarf" here is about how two pieces of material are joined, not about something you wear.
Synonymes
splice joint (A more general term for a joint joining two pieces end-to-end; not always specifically tapered like a scarf.)
Antonymes
butt joint (A joint where two ends simply meet without tapering or overlapping, contrasting with a scarf joint.)
Collocations
scarf joint
|longitudinal scarf
|timber scarf
|glued scarf
|rail scarf
|structural scarf
Thèmes
construction
|engineering
|crafts
|work
|science
Exemples
- The original scarf in the beam had failed and needed reinforcement.
- We inspected each scarf joint along the hull for signs of rot.
- A properly glued scarf can be as strong as the original timber.
- The engineer specified a longer scarf to improve load transfer.
- You can see the old scarf where the rail was extended.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The boat builder made a scarf in the long beam.
- This board has a scarf where two pieces were joined.
- They checked each scarf joint for cracks.
- A strong glue is important in a scarf.
- The carpenter cut a new scarf in the timber.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
scarf
API
GB/skˈɑɹf/
US/skˈɑɹf/
Syllabes et accentuation
scarf (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (scarf)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: scarf
- Plural: scarfs, scarves
Famille de mots
Forms
scarfs
noun
scarves
noun
Related words
headscarf
noun
Expressions
scarf down
1/skˈɑɹf dˈaʊn/
phrasal verb
informal
eat something very quickly
To eat food very quickly, usually because you are very hungry and not careful about manners.
Exemples
- We scarfed down our burgers before the movie started.
- She came home late and scarfed down a bowl of pasta.
- They scarfed down the snacks as soon as they arrived.
scarf up
1/skˈɑɹf ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
informal
grab or collect quickly
To quickly take or collect a lot of something, often so that other people cannot get it.
Exemples
- Shoppers scarfed up all the discounted laptops in an hour.
- The kids scarfed up the candy as soon as I put it out.
- Investors scarfed up the new shares on the first day of trading.