From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnotchnotch1 /nɒtʃ $ nɑːtʃ/ noun [countable] 1 BETTERa level on a scale that measures something, for example quality or achievement Her new book is several notches above anything else she has written. Jackson raised his voice by a notch. The Spartans turned it up a notch in the second half.2 CUTa V-shaped cut or hole in a surface or edge Cut a notch near one end of the stick.3 American EnglishDNSG a passage between two mountains or hills → top-notch
Examples from the Corpus
notch• Grover loosened his belt a notch.• He raised his chin a notch and swiveled his head at Earl Varney and Floyd Johnson standing half behind him.• In fact he was observing a flock of lapwings in a flooded field; his spirits lifted a notch.• Move the broiler rack a notch lower.• The seemingly perennial crisis that affects agriculture has shifted up a notch in intensity.• You might want to tweak the port speed up a notch, just to see if things run a little faster.• Winning the game moved Virginia up a notch in the rankings.• Then she'd become just another notch on his bedpost - another victory, albeit not won with quite his usual ease.• There att rows of cycle stands with a cycle jammed into every notch.notchnotch2 verb [transitive] 1 CUTto cut a V-shaped mark into something, especially as a way of showing the number of times something has been done2 American English to notch something up → notch something ↔ up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
notch• Platt provided the perfect answer when he completed his first hat-trick after 67 minutes and soon the energetic Palmer notched a fourth.• This mountain may possess other features, but the double peak or notched cleft remains constant.• New York City is notching provocative successes.• Gooden notched the winning goal in a 1-0 win.• There were six other octogenarians also in attendance and between them they had notched up 170 years service with P&O companies.• On her bedpost, it was said, she notched up a mark for every new lover.• And indeed Britain has notched up an enviable record in the sport.• The Astros have notched up another win.From Longman Business Dictionarynotchnotch1 /nɒtʃnɑːtʃ/ noun [countable] a degree or level on a scale that measures achievement, price etcThe Federal Reserve is expected to reduce interest rates another notch.The 500-stock index gained 0.43 to 358.43, a notch below the record close of 359.80.notchnotch2 (also notch up) verb [transitive] journalism to obtain or achieve something important or something that gives you an advantage over other peopleBoeing quickly notched 49 firm orders for the new plane.Mutual funds that hold stocks in smaller companies havenotched up hugegains.→ See Verb tableOrigin notch1 (1500-1600) Probably from an otch, mistaken for a notch; from early French oche “V-shaped cut” 