scratch

verb \ ˈskrach \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 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

The reform plans were scratched within days, but many Nicaraguans now say the only way to regain peace is for Mr. Ortega to step down.

— whitney eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, "Briefing: Why violence has flared in Nicaragua," 7 June 2018
After they dry, apply two coats of clear gel top coat to help keep the design from scratching off.

— chloe metzger, Marie Claire, "7 Ridiculously Cool Nail Designs to Copy this Summer," 5 June 2018
The Red Sox were without Mookie Betts, who missed his fifth straight game with soreness on his left side, and Dustin Pedroia , who was scratched just before the game with a sore left knee.

— kristie rieken, courant.com, "Pomeranz Stumbles Again As Astros Defeat Red Sox 4-2," 1 June 2018
About an hour before first pitch, the Mariners announced Segura was scratched from the lineup and Andrew Romine got the start at shortstop. *** Infielder Taylor Motter is no longer with the Mariners organization.

— ryan divish, The Seattle Times, "Denard Span joins the Mariners: ‘I just want to come in here and fit in with these guys. They already have a good ballclub here.’," 28 May 2018
Scared and in pain, Davies had difficulty sleeping, putting on clothes and stopping herself from scratching.

— aaron carter, Philly.com, "Olympic hopeful Thelma Davies is outrunning opponents, even a mysterious rash," 24 May 2018
After scratching on her first two discus attempts, Morris regrouped to throw 132-0 and advance to the finals.

— bob narang, Lake County News-Sun, "Redemption: Zion-Benton’s Jalah Morris recovers to reach Class 3A state finals in the shot put and the discus," 19 May 2018
To make things a little easier, use a chainmail scrubber make of stainless steel that with cut through crusted food without scratching the pan.

— samantha gordon, USA TODAY, "Here are Amazon's 5 best deals right now," 16 May 2018
After scratching on his two attempts, Donatlan was considerably behind the standard in the long jump but still won the indoor conference title with a 22-5.

— kevin mcgavin, Aurora Beacon-News, "Wyoming-bound Camron Donatlan wants to add long jump to high jump state title for West Aurora," 26 Mar. 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

Well, this summer, the U.S. Postal Service might give you a reason, with their first-ever scratch-and-sniff stamps.

— ben meyerson, RedEye Chicago, "An underwater hotel room, a 'Men in Black' spinoff and more conversation starters for your weekend," 1 June 2018
Healthy papillae protect the cheek and mouth from scratches and injuries, and blunt or ulcerated papillae can be an indication of a disease.

— elaina zachos, National Geographic, "This is How Camels Can Eat Spikey Cacti," 30 May 2018
Uber may even have to start the crucial process of mapping Arizona’s roads again from scratch, which was already tricky.

— johana bhuiyan, Recode, "What Uber’s decision to pull its self-driving testing from Arizona means," 23 May 2018
On Wednesday, Gem Osceola, of Davie, won $2 million in the Florida Lottery 50X The Cash scratch-off game.

— tonya alanez, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Lauderdale Lakes man wins $2 million in lottery scratch-off game," 5 May 2018
The cake was adorned with candy crystals made from scratch, arranged in a geode formation.

— mary colurso, AL.com, "Auburn chef bakes his way to final 3 on Food Network reality show," 1 May 2018
Even if all existing smallpox viruses were destroyed, its genetic code is known and the virus could be made from scratch, using genetic parts ordered over the internet.

— helen branswell, STAT, "Bill Gates got President Trump fired up about a universal flu vaccine — and also (maybe) got a job offer," 30 Apr. 2018
Everything here is made from scratch, including hot fudge.

— ann trieger kurland, BostonGlobe.com, "Fancy ice cream cakes will warm your heart," 30 Apr. 2018
And Uber is now putting the finishing touches on a from-scratch rebuild of the driver app.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "3 Million Uber Drivers Are About to Get a New Boss," 10 Apr. 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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