scrape 1 of 2

noun

Definition of scrapenext
1
as in encounter
a brief clash between enemies or rivals he's had his share of scrapes with the law in the past

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in scratch
a harsh grating sound the scrape of a shovel on concrete

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in bruise
an area of skin roughened or worn away by harsh rubbing against another surface scrapes that were caused by a too-tight harness

Synonyms & Similar Words

scrape

2 of 2

verb

ˈskrāp How to pronounce scrape (audio)
1
as in to scratch
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the rusty old gate scrapes against the pavement whenever anyone opens it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to graze
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface she scraped her knee when she fell down

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to grit
to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound she scraped her fingernails across the chalkboard to get everyone's attention

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scrape
Noun
The visits mainly addressed dehydration, minor cuts and scrapes and pre-existing medical conditions. — Ruby Grisin, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2026 Millions of users have unknowingly become proxy nodes after installing free VPNs or dubious browser extensions, allowing attackers to create fake accounts, scrape data at scale and commit promo and payment fraud. — Dan Pinto, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
Busch, a renowed music rights lawyer, previously sued Anthropic on behalf of Round Hill Music, an independent publisher, for $1 billion in August for allegedly illegally scraping hundreds of songs without permission. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026 Fawcett scraped together donations and runs the pantry without pay. — Rachel Siegel, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scrape
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrape
  1. encounter
  2. scratch
  3. bruise
  4. grit
  5. brush
  6. abrasion
  7. graze
Noun
  • Peters has denied the allegations and says the encounter was consensual.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The man who shot a gun in a road rage dispute outside Rangeview High School Tuesday has a history of violent road rage encounters, as alleged in arrest documents.
    — Olivia Young, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of encounter
Noun
  • The album featured the sexy, chicken-scratch funk of the 1970s melted down to something slow and gooey next to early-morning comedown music for a ’90s-style sunrise in the chill-out room.
    — Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The ice cream shop, currently open in the Brookside area, is known for its small-batch, made-from-scratch French-style ice cream and rotating flavor lineup.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of scratch
Noun
  • The responding Oak Bluffs police officers saw bruises on her legs and a red mark on her neck, Scalice said.
    — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Officers then cuffed the youngster as he was loaded into an ambulance and hospitalized for a fractured femur and a nasty bruise on his head, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the teen’s dad, Mahmoud Saleh, in Brooklyn Federal Court.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of bruise
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Russian drivers grit their teeth, endure the lines, and hope that government promises that the shortages will ease after the agricultural harvest season – a time of peak demand – are fulfilled.
    — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Red flag The Dodgers still don’t know what to reasonably expect from Ohtani, gritting out the postseason despite discomfort in his left knee and right arm.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of grit
Noun
  • The Times reported in 2011 that neighbors were unhappy with crowds and then LaBonge showed up with shovels and a few aides, interns and field deputies to remove brush and spread gravel to make room for tourists to take pictures.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • And with holiday parties right around the corner, there's never been a better time to break out your makeup brushes!
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of brush
Noun
  • Left alone, dry eye can create tiny abrasions on the cornea, raise infection risk and in rare cases cause scarring that permanently affects vision.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Johns Hopkins warns that untreated dry eye can cause corneal abrasions, infection or scarring that permanently affects vision.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of abrasion
Noun
  • The 26-year-old was hit multiple times, and a 23-year-old man suffered a graze wound to his foot.
    — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Depending on the season, animals could eat the crops, graze grass, or forage for acorns.
    — Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of graze

Phrases Containing scrape

Browse Nearby Words

scrapbooks
scrape
scrape (by or through)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scrape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrape. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of reticent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All