scratch out

phrasal verb

scratched out; scratching out; scratches out
: to draw a line through (something that is written down)
I scratched out the mistake.

Examples of scratch out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Two years ago, the former mayor of Happy Valley, a Portland suburb, scratched out a narrow victory in a Democratic-leaning Oregon congressional district, one of just 16 Republicans nationwide who prevailed on turf where Trump lost to Joe Biden. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024 The rifle's serial number was scratched out, court documents later reveal. George Petras, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2024 Judges moved between the two groups, standing at various distances and angles while muttering about brightness levels and scratching out scores on our sheets, while the audience whispered amongst themselves. Nilay Patel, The Verge, 16 Aug. 2024 But during its first few decades of existence, the United States offered little to the poor and landless, scratching out lives on the margins. Jefferson Cowie, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2016 Atlanta scratched out a run on its second sacrifice fly of the game in the sixth, this one by Orlando Arcia. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 31 May 2024 Locked in a tie game at UC San Diego’s Triton Ballpark, Imperial High School made two critical mistakes — an error on a pickoff play and a passed ball — and University City scratched out a 2-1 win over the Tigers in Saturday’s CIF San Diego Section Division 4 title game. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2024 But then things started to change when the favorite, Muth, the horse who beat Mystik Dan in the Arkansas Derby, scratched out of the race because of a fever. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024 Smith turned in another masterful six-inning appearance and the University of Arkansas scratched out 2-1 win over the No. 21 Gamecocks before a crowd of 8,242 at Founders Park in Columbia, S.C. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024

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

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Cite this Entry

“Scratch out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scratch%20out. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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