to scratch
- verb
- /skrætʃ/
- When I have a mosquito bite, I can't help but scratch it to relieve the itching.
- scratch an itch
- scratches and bites
And when you kind of scratch it, it doesn't itch.
- And when you kind of scratch it, it doesn't itch.
- Use your fingers, scratch your head, pull your hair.
- I like scratching the back of my heel.
- She she can't scratch her own face, She can't scratch her shoulder.
- Like I don't won't a chef that scratches his nuts before he cooks.
- There's so many veins here scratching her hand right here.
- And I was like scratching my head a mile.
Examples
-
When Dickens finished, the man silently scratched his head, then brazenly stuck out his hand.
Fiction book (1990) -
Groups of pedestrians are seen scratching their heads while staring up toward the buildings.
Academic text (1998) -
Use your fingers, scratch your head, pull your hair.
-
Did it bite you or scratch you?
-
Hey, this is no time to scratch.
-
I know a way you could scratch that itch.
-
Wait till it dries, scratch a little, be gentle.
-
And his defense of high-profile criminals left many of his neighbors scratching their heads.
Academic text (2009) -
Scratch where it itches.
-
Walter made a raspy noise when he scratched his fingernails across his unshaven jaw.
Academic text (2007)
Synonyms
To move your hand over something with pressure to clean, warm, or ease an itch
Antonyms
Idioms
A saying that some people who call themselves liberal may show authoritarian views when challenged
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
To gather small amounts of money, food, or a few people with difficulty to do something
Compounds
- Specialized
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 Hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
Scratch originally meant 'to scrape', so rubbing your skin with nails is like making tiny scrapes to stop an itch. That's why we say clothes or labels 'scratch' you when they rub and irritate your skin.