scratch
verb · noun · adjective
Simple meaning
Scrape or rub as if to relieve itching.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
skrachIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈskɹætʃ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Scrape or rub as if to relieve itching
To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
To rub the skin with rough material causing a sensation of irritation; to cause itching.
To mark a surface with a sharp object, thereby leaving a scratch (noun).
Cut the surface of; wear away the surface of
To irritate someone's skin with one's unshaven beard when kissing.
noun
A disruption, mark or shallow cut on a surface made by scratching.
An act of scratching the skin to alleviate an itch or irritation.
in the plural
Minute, but tender and troublesome, excoriations, covered with scabs, upon the heels of horses which have been used where it is very wet or muddy.
Poor handwriting; especially, illegibly so.
Nothing, zero. Used especially in card games or sports, but also expressions like "from scatch".
A feed, usually a mixture of a few common grains, given to chickens.
adjective
Hastily assembled, arranged or constructed, from whatever materials are to hand, with little or no preparation
For or consisting of preliminary or tentative, incomplete, etc. work.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Scrape or rub as if to relieve itching
Used this way, scratch is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use scratch
- “A golfer who plays at scratch should be able to achieve par on a course.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A harsh noise made by scraping.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Write quickly.
Strike or cancel by or as if by rubbing or crossing out.
Pad for preliminary or hasty writing or notes or sketches etc.
Pad for preliminary or hasty writing or notes or sketches etc.
A race in which all contestants start from scratch (on equal terms).
A racing publication giving information on horses and the outcomes of horse races.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.