1
as in metallic
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1
as in scraping
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface
scratched his arm on a branch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in scribbling
to write or draw hastily or carelessly
scratched a quick doodle in the margins
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scratching
Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Apr. 2026
Pulido told the crowd, before scratching his signature onto the brim and handing it to Jimena, who pumped it in the air and shrieked with joy.
—Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Given the success of that scheme, which still pays millions to states every year for as long as tobacco is sold, local entities were scratching for another target to increase their coffers.
—Candy Campbell, Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2026
The drastic change of direction has some industry watchers scratching their heads.
—Anne D’innocenzio, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
People will no longer fuss over confusing hirings and firings or head-scratching trades and free-agent signings of the past.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2026
Whichever team takes a chance on Gumbs will be getting a player who’s just scratching the surface at defensive end.
—Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
The drastic change of direction has some industry watchers scratching their heads.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
The mild abrasive action helps lift discoloration without scratching.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
Pine-Sol removes that grime without scratching the appliances.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Apr. 2026
Pulido told the crowd, before scratching his signature onto the brim and handing it to Jimena, who pumped it in the air and shrieked with joy.
—Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Given the success of that scheme, which still pays millions to states every year for as long as tobacco is sold, local entities were scratching for another target to increase their coffers.
—Candy Campbell, Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2026
The drastic change of direction has some industry watchers scratching their heads.
—Anne D’innocenzio, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
People will no longer fuss over confusing hirings and firings or head-scratching trades and free-agent signings of the past.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2026
Whichever team takes a chance on Gumbs will be getting a player who’s just scratching the surface at defensive end.
—Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
The drastic change of direction has some industry watchers scratching their heads.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
The mild abrasive action helps lift discoloration without scratching.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scratching
Adjective
-
The real-life runners — who were in a parallel lane to avoid any human-on-robot collisions — were impressed by the speed of machines, some slowing down or stopping to take photos of their metallic competitors.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The full metallic build gives them an unmistakably premium feel, and the removable earcups are a nice touch.—
Christian de Looper,
PC Magazine,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Victor Glover described peering at the long shadows of the lunar terminator through a telephoto lens and suddenly feeling transported down to that airless, forbidding landscape and imagining himself off-road driving among jagged peaks.—
Andrew Chaikin,
Space.com,
16 Apr. 2026
-
McMau maintains a level of jagged authenticity that implies there might well be a threat around every corner for both of his characters.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In photo after photo, video after video, North Shore residents are painted in mud, scraping it off driveways, sweeping it out of kitchens and heaving it into trucks along with their household debris.—
Thomas Heaton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Process for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and sticky.—
Laura Mclively,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sara Aparacio, a resident cleaning expert at Homeaglow, equates scrubbing an appliance with an abrasive sponge to rubbing it with very fine sandpaper.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
11 Apr. 2026
-
People also can catch typhus by breathing in flea dirt or rubbing it into their eyes, the agency said.—
Don Sweeney
April 8,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The trilogy concluded on April 1 with Fagen scribbling an inscrutable equation on the car window until, again, taking a break to consult an invisible timepiece on his wrist.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The customs officer began speaking to me very fast and pointing—the translator scribbling down notes all the while.—
Jeremy O. Harris,
Vanity Fair,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On shrill winter nights, Moscow’s power is conspicuous, its Orthodox cathedrals and Stalinist high-rises illuminated, though the view falls dim in the autumn and spring, shrouded in sheets of greige.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The chaos is still an acceptable price to pay for Birney’s expertly offputting performance, a shrill mania that gets increasingly comic over time.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The act of scrawling them upon the page is tangible and pleasing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Nov. 2025
-
Chalamet invites his Instagram followers to meet him at Regal Times Square to watch the first 30 minutes of Marty Supreme by scrawling the message on his Instagram Story in orange.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The goal is clean skin, not squeaky skin.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The goal is clean skin, not squeaky skin.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scratching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scratching. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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