scratching (out)

verb

present participle of scratch (out)
1
as in writing
to compose and set down on paper the words of scratched out a poem for his beloved wife on the home front

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in deleting
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it scratched out the old phone number and wrote in the new one

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scratching (out)
  1. writing
  2. deleting
  3. canceling
Verb
  • During an interview with THR in May, Panettiere also opened up about the challenges of delving into her childhood and relationship with her mom when writing This Is Me.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Sheinbaum, writing on X early Saturday, expressed her disapproval of Rocha Moya’s decision to return as governor of northwestern state.
    — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of writing
Verb
  • Last month, a judge blocked Iron Mountain from deleting or modifying the data.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Tome is also accused of intentionally deleting digital evidences, police said.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of deleting
Verb
  • Hurricane Lala disrupted travel between Los Angeles and Hawaii on Saturday, canceling flights from LAX to destinations across the islands as the Category 1 storm approached the Big Island.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Saving Parini the bother of canceling the interview, Borges gamely offers to join him on a road trip to Orkney.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of canceling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

scratching
scratching (out)
scratch (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Scratching (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scratching%20%28out%29. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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