scratch

verb \ ˈskrach \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: scratch in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of scratch

scratched; scratching; scratches

transitive verb

1 : to scrape or dig with the claws or nails

2 : to rub and tear or mark the surface of with something sharp or jagged

3 a : to scrape or rub lightly (as to relieve itching)

b : to act on (a desire) —used with itch

scratch the itch to travel

4 : to scrape together : collect with difficulty or by effort

scratch out a living

5 : to write or draw on a surface

6 a : to cancel or erase by or as if by drawing a line through

b : to withdraw (an entry) from competition

7 : scribble, scrawl

8 : to scrape along a rough surface

scratch a match

intransitive verb

1 : to use the claws or nails in digging, tearing, or wounding

2 : to scrape or rub oneself lightly (as to relieve itching)

3 : to gather money or make a living by hard work and especially through irregular means and sacrifice

had to scratch and save for college

4 a : to make a thin grating sound

b : to produce a rhythmic scratching sound by or as if by moving a phonograph record back and forth under a phonograph needle

5 : to withdraw from a contest or engagement

6 : to make a scratch in billiards or pool

—

scratcher

noun

— scratch one's back

: to accommodate with a favor especially in expectation of like return

— scratch one's head

: to be or become confused or perplexed

— scratch the surface

: to make a modest effort or start

See scratch defined for English-language learners

See scratch defined for kids

scratch was our Word of the Day on 03/06/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of scratch in a Sentence

Will you scratch my back for me?
Scratching the itch only makes it worse.
The dog scratched its ear.
You shouldn't scratch. It'll just make your itch worse.
Thorns scratched our legs as we climbed through the briars.
Careful, the cat will scratch.
The dog was scratching at the door.
Be careful not to scratch the table.
Someone scratched the paint on my car.
The little boy scratched lines in the dirt with a stick.

Recent Examples of scratch from the Web

Landing James given these circumstances should grant the Lakers immunity from criticism for the rest of their head-scratching moves.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "2018 NBA Free Agency: The Early Winners And Losers," 5 July 2018
The Brewers continued to win without him, with Jesús Aguilar transforming into an impact player for an offense that, while talented, also experienced head-scratching bouts of ineffectiveness.

— todd rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Eric Thames is getting back into the swing of things for the Brewers," 3 July 2018
Like so many other questions in this book, this one is posed as a head-scratching koan.

— benjamin moser, New York Times, "Did He Really Say That? On the Perils and Pitfalls of Translation," 28 June 2018
Anita Baker tribute: One knock on the Grammys is its occasionally ossified or head-scratching choices for tribute performances.

— august brown, latimes.com, "From H.E.R. to Jamie Foxx, the best and worst moments of the BET Awards," 25 June 2018
Among it’s notable exclusions was San Francisco’s Dominique Crenn, one of the best chefs in the world and also a head-scratching omission from 2017’s Top 50 rankings.

— justin phillips, SFChronicle.com, "SF’s Dominique Crenn notably absent from annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants list," 19 June 2018
The reaction to his comments after Game 3 drew widespread reaction, mostly of the head-scratching variety.

— al saracevic, San Francisco Chronicle, "Rockets vs. Warriors: Pressure? What pressure?," 22 May 2018
The results are a terrific way to discover or revisit his work, which ranges from sentimental ballads to juke-joint blues to head-scratching sound collages and back again.

— morgan enos, Billboard, "13 Essential Lesser-Known Songs From Tom Waits' Catalog," 16 May 2018
Joel Iyiegbuniwe in the fourth round was the only real head-scratching selection for Ryan Pace.

— brad biggs, chicagotribune.com, "Bears Q&A: Is there enough depth at outside linebacker? Why move James Daniels to guard?," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scratch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of scratch

Middle English scracchen, probably blend of scratten to scratch and cracchen to scratch

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

scratch Synonyms

scratch

noun

Definition of scratch

1 : a mark or injury produced by scratching; also : a slight wound

2 : scrawl, scribble

3 : the sound made by scratching

4 : the starting line in a race

5 a : a test of courage

b : satisfactory condition, level, or performance

not up to scratch

6 : a contestant whose name is withdrawn

7 : poultry feed (such as mixed grains) scattered on the litter or ground especially to induce birds to exercise — called also scratch feed

8 a : a shot in billiards or pool that ends a player's turn; specifically : a shot in pool in which the cue ball falls into the pocket

b : a shot that scores by chance : fluke

9 slang : money, funds

— from scratch

1 : from a point at which nothing has been done ahead of time

build a school system from scratch

2 : without using a prepared mixture of ingredients

bake a cake from scratch

See scratch defined for English-language learners

Examples of scratch in a Sentence

There's a scratch in the paint on the new car!
The table is an antique but it doesn't have any dents or scratches.
I got a scratch on my leg when I climbed the fence.
The only sound in the room during the test was the scratch of pencils on paper.
We don't have the scratch to buy a new car.

Recent Examples of scratch from the Web

While renewable energy may be cheaper than fossil fuels when a utility starts from scratch or replaces old power plants that have reached the end of their usable life, overhauling the existing electricity system is much more complicated and costly.

— justin worland/pueblo, Time, "How One Industrial City Is Fighting to Go Green," 12 July 2018
He was treated for dehydration, lack of food and scratches, cuts and bruises and was placed in the custody of the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

— CBS News, "Officers recall finding buried baby; man says he abandoned boy because he was heavy," 11 July 2018
The investigation revealed Garrett hit, kicked and threw items at the woman, leaving her with bruises, scratches and marks, Booth said.

— raisa habersham, ajc, "Sheriff: Man planned to burn home with woman, 2 children inside," 11 July 2018
Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal.

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan health officials see uptick in bats with rabies," 3 July 2018
The top slider stays closed most of the time, which has the fun side effect of protecting the front and back camera lenses from smudges or scratches.

— ron amadeo, Ars Technica, "The Oppo Find X kills the smartphone notch with a motorized pop-up camera," 20 June 2018
The bags are made from an extra-durable thermoplastic urethane that resists tears and scratches.

— emily reed, Outside Online, "Why I Love Collapsible Camping Gear," 18 June 2018
My son would return home from visiting with my dad with his skin covered in bruises and scratches.

— brian gresko, Longreads, "Wrestling With My Father," 12 June 2018
Her small white car was covered with dents and scratches.

— edwidge danticat, The New Yorker, "Without Inspection," 7 May 2018

Did You Know?

The phrase up to scratch has its origins in the world of sports. In the 18th century, scratch began to be used for a line or mark that served as the starting point in a contest or competition. In order to begin or continue a fight, for example, a pugilist would "come up to the scratch," positioning himself at a line drawn across the prize ring. Up to the scratch was soon being used figuratively of anyone who was ready and able to do something. Over the years, the usage of the phrase has evolved somewhat, but something that is "up to scratch" can still be said to be ready and able in that it is capable of functioning or performing as expected.

First Known Use of scratch

circa 1586

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

scratch

adjective

Definition of scratch

1 : arranged or put together with little selection : haphazard

a scratch team

2 : made as or used for a tentative effort

3 : made or done by chance and not as intended

a scratch shot

4 : having no handicap or allowance

a scratch golfer

5 : made from scratch : made with basic ingredients

a scratch cake

See scratch defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of scratch from the Web

The sessions are aimed at ages 3-10, but what adult doesn’t love scratch art? (610-388-8382, brandywine.org) Shore Baby Parades (Stone Harbor, July 9; Wildwood, Aug. 1; Cape May, Aug. 3; Ocean City, Aug. 9).

— lauren mccutcheon, Philly.com, "Where to take your kids in Philadelphia this summer," 6 June 2018
In spring 2016, Kornmeyer ran the Scratch pop-up restaurant in Irvington in hopes of finding a permanent location.

— liz biro, Indianapolis Star, "These are all the Indianapolis restaurant closings," 13 July 2017
The TechMatte screen protectors were extremely scratch-resilient compared to others, including protectors that cost more than $40.

— brian x. chen, New York Times, "Reality Check: What Does, and Doesn’t, Protect Your Smartphone," 24 May 2017
Guinness isn't owned by megabrewer AB InBev, but it is run by multi-national beverage company Diageo (also the world's largest whiskey producer), so scratch independence.

— matt allyn, Popular Mechanics, "Guinness Is Opening an American Brewery and This Is Why it Matters," 31 Jan. 2017
The TechMatte screen protectors were extremely scratch-resilient compared to others, including protectors that cost more than $40.

— brian x. chen, The Seattle Times, "What does, and doesn’t, protect your smartphone," 2 June 2017

First Known Use of scratch

1851

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SCRATCH Defined for English Language Learners

scratch

verb

Definition of scratch for English Language Learners

: to rub your skin with something sharp (such as your fingernails) especially in order to stop an itch
: to make a shallow and narrow cut in (your skin) with something sharp (such as fingernails, claws, etc.)
: to rub a surface or object with something sharp or rough in a way that produces a harsh sound

scratch

noun

Definition of scratch for English Language Learners

: a line or mark in the surface of something that is caused by something rough or sharp rubbing against it
: a shallow and narrow cut in the skin that is caused by something sharp
: the sound made when something sharp rubs against a surface or object

scratch

adjective

Definition of scratch for English Language Learners

of a golfer : having no handicap
: put together quickly and without enough planning or thought

SCRATCH Defined for Kids

scratch

verb \ ˈskrach \

Definition of scratch for Students

scratched; scratching

1 : to scrape or rub lightly

scratch an itch

He scratched his head.

2 : to injure by scraping with something sharp

He scratched his thumb on a nail.

3 : to make a scraping noise

The dog was scratching at the door.

4 : to erase by scraping

I scratched out my mistake.

scratch

noun

Definition of scratch for Students

: a mark or injury made by scraping with something sharp

Learn More about scratch

See words that rhyme with scratch Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for scratch Spanish Central: Translation of scratch Nglish: Translation of scratch for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of scratch for Arabic speakers

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scratch

Definition of scratch

scratcher

scratch was our Word of the Day on 03/06/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of scratch in a Sentence

Recent Examples of scratch from the Web

Origin and Etymology of scratch

scratch Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

scratch

Definition of scratch

Examples of scratch in a Sentence

Recent Examples of scratch from the Web

Did You Know?

First Known Use of scratch

scratch

Definition of scratch

Recent Examples of scratch from the Web

First Known Use of scratch

SCRATCH Defined for English Language Learners

scratch

Definition of scratch for English Language Learners

scratch

Definition of scratch for English Language Learners

scratch

Definition of scratch for English Language Learners

SCRATCH Defined for Kids

scratch

Definition of scratch for Students

scratch

Definition of scratch for Students

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