Meaning & use
sketch
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Meanings
nouncountable
A quick, rough drawing that shows the main shape of something without much detail.
Grammar: Countable: make a sketch of the building.
Patterns
- a sketch of something
- make a sketch
She drew a quick sketch of the harbor.
The architect showed us a sketch of the plan.
His notebook is full of pencil sketches.
nouncountable
A short comic scene in a show or on television.
Grammar: Often with comedy: a comedy sketch.
Patterns
- a sketch about something
The sketch about a talking dog got the biggest laugh.
The troupe performs a new sketch each week.
They wrote a sketch for the school show.
nouncountable
A brief description or outline of something, without full detail.
Grammar: Often a sketch of: a sketch of her life.
Patterns
- a sketch of something
The article gives a brief sketch of the city's history.
He offered a sketch of the plan before the meeting.
The author's sketch of the scandal omitted names.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To draw something quickly and roughly.
Grammar: With or without an object: sketch a tree; she sketches in cafes.
Patterns
- sketch something
- sketch out something
He sketched the mountain from the window.
She sketches on the train.
The designer sketched a logo in minutes.
verbtransitive
To describe or outline something briefly.
Grammar: Often with out: sketch out the plan.
Patterns
- sketch out something
She sketched out the idea for the team.
Let me sketch out how the day will run.
He sketched the main argument in three sentences.
Word forms
| plural | sketches |
|---|---|
| third person singular | sketches |
| past tense | sketched |
| past participle | sketched |
| -ing form | sketching |
Common combinations
- quick sketch
- She made a quick sketch of her dog.
- pencil sketch
- A pencil sketch hung in the hall.
- comedy sketch
- The comedy sketch went viral.
- rough sketch
- He showed a rough sketch of the garden.
- sketch out
- Let's sketch out a plan.
- character sketch
- The teacher asked for a character sketch.
Synonyms and how they differ
- drawing
- Drawing can be finished and detailed, while a sketch is deliberately quick.
- outline
- Outline shows only the main lines or points, usually for a plan or text.
- skit
- Skit is a short comic performance, a close match for the sketch comedy sense, but more casual.
- draft
- Draft is an early version of writing, while a sketch is a rough drawing or summary.
Word family
Commonly confused: sketch or skit? sketch or sketchy?
sketch vs skit
A skit is a short comic act, while sketch can also mean a drawing or outline.
sketch vs sketchy
Sketchy as slang means suspicious, not related to drawing.
Practice
The artist made a quick ____ of the old bridge before the light changed.
Choose one answer.
A sketch is a rough, fast drawing. Skit is a comic act, and stretch and scratch do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sketch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.