scratch the surface

phrase

: to make a modest effort or start

Examples of scratch the surface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At 23, Thompson is already one of the NBA’s elite perimeter defenders and has a budding offensive game that’s just scratching the surface. — William Guillory, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

The album contains 10 rare recordings but doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of Paisley Park’s reported 8,000-song vault. — Keith Murphy, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Lift pans and set them down gently to avoid scratching the surface. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2026

Known as the Land of Fire and Ice, Iceland has long appealed to adventurous travelers, but most only scratch the surface. — Gwen Nicol, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for scratch the surface

• hypersurface
• undersurface
• resurface
• subsurface