scraped; scraping
1
a
: to remove from a surface by usually repeated strokes of an edged instrument
b
: to make (a surface) smooth or clean with strokes of an edged instrument or an abrasive
2
a
: to grate harshly over or against
b
: to damage or injure the surface of by contact with a rough surface
c
: to draw roughly or noisily over a surface
3
: to collect by or as if by scraping
—often used with up or together
scrape up the price of a ticket
1
: to move in sliding contact with a rough surface
2
: to accumulate money by small economies
3
: to draw back the foot along the ground in making a bow
4
: to make one's way with difficulty : barely manage or succeed
just scraped through at school
working two jobs and barely scraping by
scraper
noun
1
2
a
: the nest of a bird consisting of a usually shallow depression in the ground
b
: a cleared area on the forest floor made by a male deer during breeding season to attract a doe
3
: a bow made with a drawing back of the foot along the ground
4
a
: a distressing encounter
a scrape with death
b
: altercation, fight
Synonyms
Examples of scrape in a Sentence
Verb
Someone had scraped the car with a key.
I scraped one of the chairs while bringing it up the stairs.
I scraped my knee when I fell.
fingernails scraping against a blackboard
the sound of chairs scraping on the floor as people stood to leave
The boat scraped against the edge of the dock.
She scraped her fingernails across the blackboard.
The deer scraped its antlers against the tree.
Scrape the seeds into a bowl.
Scrape the paint from the wood.
Noun
There's a scrape on the fender that wasn't there yesterday.
I got a scrape on my knee when I fell.
We survived the accident with a few minor bumps and scrapes.
She got into a few scrapes with the police when she was younger.
the scrape of fingernails on a blackboard
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Recent Examples on the Web
Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2023
The source uranium for those pits was scraped from the ground in mines in the Southwest, hundreds of them on Navajo Nation lands.
—Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
In 2020, the independent researcher Tom Hollands scraped the website’s payment data and concluded that the top 1 percent of accounts made 33 percent of the money, and that most accounts took home less than $145 a month.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
Along with violent seasickness, passengers suffered from fever, dysentery, boils, scurvy, mouth rot, rat bites, and lice so copious that they could be scraped off the body.
—Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually add powdered sugar, and beat on low speed until smooth and combined, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl as needed.
2.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023
The guitars scald, the background vocals honor Queen and Sweet (the band), and Michael still hits notes that have to be scraped off the studio ceiling.
—Arsenio Orteza, SPIN, 25 Oct. 2023
At the same time, YouTube parent company Google is pushing ahead on scraping the entire internet to power its own AI ambitions — resulting in a company that is at once writing special rules for the music industry while telling everyone else that their work will be taken for free.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 14 Nov. 2023
Rather than rely on opting out of future AI training data sets—or, as OpenAI recommends, blocking AI makers' web crawlers from accessing and scraping their sites in the future—artists are figuring out how to manipulate their images to block AI models from correctly interpreting their content.
—Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 3 Nov. 2023
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Sometimes that bedding area could be within 300 yards of the scrape or a half mile away.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 19 Oct. 2023
The team noted the intentional post-mortem modifications made to the remains, which include some fractures and scrapes to the bones.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Sep. 2023
The kit includes a range of bandages in all shapes, sizes, and patterns, plus a helpful arsenal of cleansing wipes, ointment for scrapes, hydrocortisone cream for insect bites, and ibuprofen for bumps and bruises.
—Mandy Harris, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2023
The kit contains plenty of materials for minor cuts, scrapes, and small other injuries.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 5 Oct. 2023
OpenAI, like other generative AI companies, scrapes publicly available data from the internet to help train large language models.
—Emilia David, The Verge, 20 Sep. 2023
The Best Time to Hunt Deer No. 3: Scrape Week
There are literally generations of hunters who have given up on hunting over scrapes out of frustration.
—Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 6 Sep. 2023
Some students received minor injuries during the disturbances including scrapes, bumps and bruises.
—Lee Roop | Lroop@al.com, al, 30 Aug. 2023
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Verb
These catch-all tools have a strong yet flexible blade that can be used for mixing and scraping both dry and wet mixes.
—Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2023
The source uranium for those pits was scraped from the ground in mines in the Southwest, hundreds of them on Navajo Nation lands.
—Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
In 2020, the independent researcher Tom Hollands scraped the website’s payment data and concluded that the top 1 percent of accounts made 33 percent of the money, and that most accounts took home less than $145 a month.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
Along with violent seasickness, passengers suffered from fever, dysentery, boils, scurvy, mouth rot, rat bites, and lice so copious that they could be scraped off the body.
—Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually add powdered sugar, and beat on low speed until smooth and combined, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl as needed.
2.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023
The guitars scald, the background vocals honor Queen and Sweet (the band), and Michael still hits notes that have to be scraped off the studio ceiling.
—Arsenio Orteza, SPIN, 25 Oct. 2023
At the same time, YouTube parent company Google is pushing ahead on scraping the entire internet to power its own AI ambitions — resulting in a company that is at once writing special rules for the music industry while telling everyone else that their work will be taken for free.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 14 Nov. 2023
Rather than rely on opting out of future AI training data sets—or, as OpenAI recommends, blocking AI makers' web crawlers from accessing and scraping their sites in the future—artists are figuring out how to manipulate their images to block AI models from correctly interpreting their content.
—Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 3 Nov. 2023
Noun
There are also all sorts of superficial scrapes and structural traits that distinguish our bones.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Sometimes that bedding area could be within 300 yards of the scrape or a half mile away.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 19 Oct. 2023
The team noted the intentional post-mortem modifications made to the remains, which include some fractures and scrapes to the bones.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Sep. 2023
The kit includes a range of bandages in all shapes, sizes, and patterns, plus a helpful arsenal of cleansing wipes, ointment for scrapes, hydrocortisone cream for insect bites, and ibuprofen for bumps and bruises.
—Mandy Harris, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2023
The kit contains plenty of materials for minor cuts, scrapes, and small other injuries.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 5 Oct. 2023
OpenAI, like other generative AI companies, scrapes publicly available data from the internet to help train large language models.
—Emilia David, The Verge, 20 Sep. 2023
The Best Time to Hunt Deer No. 3: Scrape Week
There are literally generations of hunters who have given up on hunting over scrapes out of frustration.
—Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 6 Sep. 2023
Some students received minor injuries during the disturbances including scrapes, bumps and bruises.
—Lee Roop | Lroop@al.com, al, 30 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scrape.' 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, from Old Norse skrapa; akin to Old English scrapian to scrape, Latin scrobis ditch, Russian skresti to scrape
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of scrape was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing scrape
Dictionary Entries Near scrape
Cite this Entry
“Scrape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrape. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
scrape
1 of 2 verb
scraped; scraping
1
a
: to remove by repeated strokes of an edged tool
scrape off rust
b
: to clean or smooth by rubbing
2
a
: to rub or cause to rub so as to make a harsh noise
b
: to damage or injure by dragging or rubbing against a rough surface
scraped his knee on the pavement
3
a
: to gather with difficulty and little by little
scrape together a few dollars
b
: to barely get by
scraped through with low grades
scraper
noun
scrape
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the act or process of scraping
b
: a sound, mark, or injury made by scraping
2
: a bow made with a pulling back of the foot
3
a
: a disagreeable situation
b
: altercation, fight
More from Merriam-Webster on scrape
Nglish: Translation of scrape for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of scrape for Arabic Speakers
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