divot

/ˈdɪvət/

Other forms: divots

A divot is a little chunk of grass or turf that gets dug out of the ground. Playing golf creates many divots.

Have you ever seen a lawn that is perfectly maintained and smooth? That's a piece of ground without any divots. A divot is a little piece of the earth that flies up when something sharp hits it, like an animal's sharp hooves. The chunk of earth is a divot, and the cavity left behind is also called a divot. The cleats of football players and the powerful swings of golf players both result in divots.

Definitions of divot

1. noun

   a piece of turf dug out of a lawn or fairway (by an animals hooves or a golf club)
   type of:

   greensward, sod, sward, turf

   surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
2. noun

   (golf) the cavity left when a piece of turf is cut from the ground by the club head in making a stroke
   “it was a good drive but the ball ended up in a divot”

   type of:

   cavity, pit

   a sizable hole (usually in the ground)
3. noun

   an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)
   synonyms: dent, ding, gouge, nick

   types:

   dig

   a small gouge (as in the cover of a book)

   type of:

   blemish, defect, mar

   a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body)