Skip to main content
to scratch

to scratch

262 1.0
To rub the skin with nails to relieve an itch or cause soreness
  • verb
  • /skrætʃ/
translation icon : rascarse
  • 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.

Autoplay Next

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 rub
vsto scratch
600 1.0

To move your hand over something with pressure to clean, warm, or ease an itch

uses fingernails to scrape skin and can cause irritation

Antonyms

2.3

To avoid touching and disturbing a person, animal or object

63 3.4

To make someone feel calmer or reduce their pain

Idioms

98 2.8

To make something using nothing already made

11 2.7

Not hurt or damaged after a dangerous event

Touch or rub your head to show you do not understand something

Good enough to meet a required standard

Leave a dangerous situation without getting hurt

To look below the surface to find the real reasons

To help when needed, especially in a difficult situation

A saying that some people who call themselves liberal may show authoritarian views when challenged

4.3

Satisfy a strong wish you cannot ignore

To do something that solves a problem you have

Phrasal Verbs

to scratch that
  • Informal
11 7.7

Tell people to ignore what you just said

Draw lines through writing so you cannot read it

Make small cuts or marks on a surface by rubbing it

To write something quickly without much care

1 6.5

To gather small amounts of money, food, or a few people with difficulty to do something

Manage to live with very little money

To manage to live with very little money

to scratch up
  • Informal
5.9

Gather a small amount of money or supplies by trying hard

Compounds

chicken scratch
  • Informal
3 8.4

Messy handwriting that is hard to read

1 1.0

A small cut on the skin from a cat's claws

scratch test
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A simple test that finds allergies by putting small drops on tiny cuts in the skin

1 4.8

A line that shows where people start a race

1 2.3

A small pad of blank paper for quick notes and sketches

1 2.2

A piece of paper used for quick notes or rough calculations

cat scratch disease
  • Specialized
3.4

An infection from a cat scratch or bite that makes nearby glands swell and is usually mild

scratch awl
  • Specialized
7.9

A small tool with a sharp point that marks wood or metal before cutting

scratch race
  • Specialized
5.5

A race where all competitors start together with no handicaps

scratch sheet
  • Jargon
9.9

A paper that lists horses, race results and betting odds

scratch plough
  • Archaic
8.8

A simple light farm tool that loosens the top of the soil without turning it over

How Hard

to claw
31 1.1
to scratch
262 1.0
to rub
600 1.0

Surface Forms

scratch infinitive
scratched past
scratched past participle
scratching present participle
scratches third person singular

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.