scratch the surface

phrase

: to make a modest effort or start

Examples of scratch the surface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Three great games, and this just scratches the surface of the football for this weekend. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

But the tireless churn of his storytelling, picking up and depositing little clues of what came before, is the mark of an auteur who has barely scratched the surface of his prowess. — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026

But that description barely scratches the surface, Chris Joyner reports. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Of course, focusing on racing only scratches the surface of Waltrip’s life. — Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for scratch the surface

• hypersurface
• undersurface
• resurface
• subsurface