itch

1 of 2

verb

itched; itching; itches

intransitive verb

1
a
: to have an itch
her arm itched
b
: to produce an itchy sensation
long underwear that itches
2
: to have a restless desire or hankering for something
were itching to go outside

transitive verb

1
: to cause to itch
2

itch

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an uneasy irritating sensation in the upper surface of the skin usually held to result from mild stimulation of pain receptors
b
: a skin disorder accompanied by such a sensation
especially : a contagious eruption caused by a mite (Sarcoptes scabiei) that burrows in the skin and causes intense itching
2
a
: a restless usually constant often compulsive desire
an itch to travel
itchiness noun
itchy adjective

Examples of itch in a Sentence

Verb His eyes began to burn and itch because of his allergies. This sweater makes me itch. Noun I had a slight itch on my back. Scratching only makes the itch worse. She's always had an itch for adventure. He has an itch to travel.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
But the young man, enthralled by his father’s stories of samurai, grows only more brash, itching for violence. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024 Fans have been itching for new music since Gaga’s last album, 2020’s Chromatica, but the 13-time Grammy winner has been spending the past three years on plenty of other projects that she’s been passionate about. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2024 Cahokia’s would-be plunderers form an unholy alliance with the Ku Klux Klan, whose followers despise Cahokia’s multicultural essence and are itching for riot and murder. Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 McClintock said the vote would expand the powers of impeachment in a way that would come back to hurt Republicans in the future. Republicans have itched to impeach Mayorkas for months, seeing it as a way to send a message to the Biden administration over its policies at the southern border. Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2024 Anticipating and preparing for these viral moments can be challenging for brands that don’t already have corresponding products and as fickle consumers are itching to hop on the bandwagon, selling products on a preorder model won’t work, said Lee. Yola Mzizi, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024 There are mesh cool zones to keep you feeling cool and dry, and the wide waistband stays comfortably in place — plus there are no tags to itch or chafe, which is a bonus. Barbara Bellesi Zito, Travel + Leisure, 24 Jan. 2024 The assertive approach to the session illustrated just how much Republicans in Louisiana have been itching to dismantle the legislative legacy of Gov. John Bel Edwards, the two-term Democrat who preceded Mr. Landry, and to adopt policies that Mr. Edwards would have thwarted. Rick Rojas, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The medications may stop itching from blisters and allergies but don't alleviate eczema symptoms.16 Additionally, rough fabrics, like wool, can make your skin itch, warned Dr. Bordone. Andrea Stanley, Health, 4 Mar. 2024
Noun
These opioid receptors when stimulated and/or inhibited by the body's natural ligands have been known to be involved in the body's itch circuitry. Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2024 Sometimes her chin tingles or itches, which drives Tashay a bit batty. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2024 The barrier is impaired in skin that's affected by psoriasis, which can lead to dryness and itch. Marci Robin, Allure, 1 Feb. 2024 The couple soon got the itch again to open their own place in their new city. Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 18 Jan. 2024 The thermal spring water in this cleansing oil has been shown to help alleviate that itch from eczema breakouts. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 14 Jan. 2024 To ignore the itch and come back to Michigan will come with the increasingly likely chance that Harbaugh faces more penalties for NCAA violations that have occurred under his watch. Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024 This is the power and the anachronism of the Christmas card, which scratches an itch that iPhones should have cured by now. Mac Schwerin, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2023 Road restoration scratched his mechanical itch in service of a higher calling. Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'itch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English icchen, from Old English giccan; akin to Old High German jucchen to itch

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of itch was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near itch

Cite this Entry

“Itch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/itch. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

itch

1 of 2 verb
1
: to have or produce an itch
2
: to cause to itch
3
: to have a strong desire
itching to get going

itch

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: an uneasy irritating feeling in the skin usually held to result from exciting cells or groups of cells which sense pain
b
: a skin disorder accompanied by an itch
especially : scabies
2
: a restless usually constant desire
itchiness noun
itchy adjective

Medical Definition

itch

noun
1
: an uneasy irritating sensation in the upper surface of the skin usually held to result from mild stimulation of pain receptors
2
: a skin disorder accompanied by an itch
especially : a contagious eruption caused by an itch mite of the genus Sarcoptes (S. scabiei) that burrows in the skin and causes intense itching
itch verb
itchiness noun
itchy adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on itch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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