To make a long, narrow superficial wound or mark on a surface, especially skin
“He has to wear tights on his legs and long sleeves on his arms on a hot Missouri day so he doesn't scratch himself.”
To scrape or wear away by friction
“I washed my car with the rough side of a Scotch-Brite scrub. I didn't realize it would scratch my car so badly!”
To tear or dig with the nails or claws
“The bizarre walking brain was making a feeble attempt to scratch at him with its claws but with no effect on the heavy armor.”
To cancel or strike out (writing) with a pen or pencil
“He decided to scratched the notes he had made and began to write new ones.”
To draw or scribble (something), especially aimlessly
“I plan to scratch up some notes and update the documents with them soon.”
To decide or announce that (a planned event) will not take place
“Under substantial pressure from her fan base, DiFranco decided to scratch the event altogether.”
To withdraw (someone) from a competition or group
“The team will scratch him from the lineup and allow him time to recover from his injury.”
To puncture or pierce with a sharp, pointed object
To bring or come to an end, typically in an abrupt fashion
To move or act so as to achieve avoidance, escape, or evasion
To injure
To make rough or coarse
To cause pain or injury to
To give an appearance of age to, especially a new object
To obtain with difficulty or effort, especially one's livelihood
To be the site of or cause an itch
To stroke or touch, especially in a manner that causes laughter and twitching
A mark made by scratching
“The sliding was stopped when a scratch was observed visually on the disk surface.”
A slight or insignificant wound
“He sustained a scratch or two from the fall but was otherwise unharmed.”
A harsh and grating noise or sound
“my senses were tuned into the scratch of metal in the doorjamb, and then the click as the lock was undone.”
(slang, rare) Money or currency
“He and Bruce cooked up a script together, and Bruce flew home to raise the scratch.”
A long, narrow cut or depression in a hard material
A mark, typically from physical trauma or damage
A style of folk and popular music from the Virgin Islands, traditionally performed by bands consisting of ukulele, banjo, guitar and washboard with various percussion instruments on rhythm
A letter, or a literary composition in the form of a letter
Nothing or zero in amount, quantity or degree
A number of sheets of blank paper fastened together at one edge
The giving out of information about a product, person, or company for advertising or promotional purposes
A print made from an engraved plate, block, or other surface
An example of hurried, careless writing
Put together at short notice
“A scratch company of two innocuous youths and a pacified veteran was therefore what now offered itself to Mrs. Stringham.”
Unimportant or insignificant in nature
Created and performed spontaneously or without preparation
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