to scratch
161
1.1
- verb
- /skrætʃ/
:
arañar
- Hey, you scratched my paint!
- scratch the surface
- barely scratched
- scratch off the paint
She quit because one of their kids scratched her, just whapped her and scratched her.
- She quit because one of their kids scratched her, just whapped her and scratched her.
- He gave three different accounts of how he scratched his face.
- Is anyone crashing into me or scratching my car?
- Before I do that, I'm going to score or scratch.
Examples
-
Well, I hope he doesn't scratch my car.
-
No, no, John, could you scratch the inside of my ear a little?
-
And all I do is kind of scratch from left to right.
-
I'll just grab this stone here and try to scratch the glass.
-
Come on, scratch a little deeper, Bobby.
-
OK, All right, look, somebody scratched the bottle.
-
Not long after she fell asleep, I heard something outside the window, scratching at the glass.
-
Care must be used with the plastic, as the surface scratches quite easily.
Academic text (1994) -
Marvin reaches out and slowly scratches the window, creating a tiny squeaking sound.
Fiction book (1991) -
I accidentally scratched the surface of the table while moving it.
Synonyms
272
2.1
Cut shapes and patterns into wood, stone and other hard materials
192
1.0
Make a visible line, spot, or sign on a surface
62
1.2
To rub material off a surface with something hard or sharp
47
5.2
To cut words and pictures into a hard surface like metal or wood
33
3.5
To make a small cut on the skin or a surface, often by accident
31
3.7
Scrape the skin slightly and make a small wound
31
1.1
To scratch or tear something with a sharp nail
31
5.3
Put words on something like a book or monument so they last
18
5.5
To cut a design into metal or glass with a sharp tool
15
4.1
To cut a small V-shaped mark in something to help pieces fit together
12
3.6
To damage a surface by scraping it with something
8
3.8
To make a small dent in something, for example on a car or phone
8
4.3
Make a harsh scraping sound by rubbing things together
6
2.1
To touch or move across a surface leaving a small scratch
3
7.4
To mark a surface with a sharp point or write something carefully by hand
1
7.7
To cut letters or a design into a hard surface
1
3.5
Make small cuts or marks on a surface by rubbing it
To scratch or scrape something so it gets a small mark
Make a small scratch or chip in a painted surface
To make small cuts in seed coats so they take in water and grow
Antonyms
Idioms
A saying that some people who call themselves liberal may show authoritarian views when challenged
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
1
6.5
To gather small amounts of money, food, or a few people with difficulty to do something
Compounds
- Specialized
1
3.5
A simple test that finds allergies by putting small drops on tiny cuts in the skin
- Specialized
An infection from a cat scratch or bite that makes nearby glands swell and is usually mild
- Archaic
A simple light farm tool that loosens the top of the soil without turning it over
How Deep
Surface Forms
Etymology
Scratch comes from a very old word meaning 'to scrape', and it is like the word scrape you already know. So to scratch a surface is to cut or etch it by scraping with something sharp.