scratched

verb

past tense of scratch
1
as in scraped
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface scratched his arm on a branch

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grated
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the branches of the willow tree scratch against the windowpane whenever the wind blows

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scribbled
to write or draw hastily or carelessly scratched a quick doodle in the margins

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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 scratched That’s exactly what happened Sunday afternoon, when Rushing was scratched with an arm irritation. — Katie Woo, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 The August board meeting agenda had a line item to discuss the draft of the letter, but Cameron announced at the beginning of the gathering that it was scratched. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Zoll said outfielder Emmanuel Rodríguez returned to High-A Cedar Rapids Tuesday night after being scratched Sunday due to thumb discomfort. — David Brown, Twin Cities, 4 Aug. 2026 Plenty of people scratched their heads when the Codex Micro was announced. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 3 Aug. 2026 Dalton Rushing was scratched from Sunday’s starting lineup with a sore arm. — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 3 Aug. 2026 Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López was scratched ahead of Saturday’s game against the Nationals at Truist Park. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026 The release encourages people not to use any card reader that looks loose, crooked, damaged or scratched, and to use tap-to-pay or chip technology whenever possible. — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 27 July 2026 But The Dink has a 74% on RT (compared to 26% for The Hawk) and might scratch that sports-movie itch if it hasn’t already been scratched. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scratched
  1. scraped
  2. grated
  3. scribbled
  4. scrawled
Verb
  • The Nazca Lines are a group of extensive geoglyphs scraped into the desert around Nazca centuries ago by Peru’s Indigenous inhabitants.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Prime Minister Janez Janša recently scraped together a coalition that did away with the country’s leftist leader, Robert Golob.
    — Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of scraped
Verb
  • Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ cup), tossing constantly until melted into sauce and adding more pasta cooking liquid a couple of tablespoonfuls at a time to loosen sauce if needed.
    — Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026
  • The cobs are grated by hand on a box grater, before the grated kernels are folded into a batter of buttermilk, egg, flour, salt, and leavener.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 30 July 2026
Definition of grated
Verb
  • However, over that time, the amounts typically scribbled or printed on the face of those checks rose.
    — Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 24 July 2026
  • With so much data to take in, penalty ‘cheat sheets’ have started to appear on goalkeeper’s bottles and scribbled on pieces of paper.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of scribbled
Verb
  • The cat had blood pouring from its mouth and was surrounded by arcane symbols scrawled on the walls, court documents show.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026
  • Pinned to their random assortment of hats were scrawled, handmade signs proclaiming liberty or death.
    — Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of scrawled

Browse Nearby Words

scratch
scratched
scratched (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Scratched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scratched. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on scratched

Nglish: Translation of scratched for Spanish Speakers

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