| / English Dictionary |
SCRATCH
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
An indication of damage
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
blemish; defect; mar (a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body))
Derivation:
scratch (cut the surface of; wear away the surface of)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(golf) a handicap of zero strokes
Example:
a golfer who plays at scratch should be able to achieve par on a course
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
handicap (advantage given to a competitor to equalize chances of winning)
Domain category:
golf; golf game (a game played on a large open course with 9 or 18 holes; the object is use as few strokes as possible in playing all the holes)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Poor handwriting
Synonyms:
cacography; scratch; scrawl; scribble
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
hand; handwriting; script (something written by hand)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "scratch"):
chicken scratch (cramped or illegible handwriting)
squiggle (an illegible scrawl)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A harsh noise made by scraping
Example:
the scrape of violin bows distracted her
Synonyms:
scrape; scraping; scratch; scratching
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
noise (sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound))
Derivation:
scratchy (unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Dry mash for poultry
Synonyms:
chicken feed; scratch
Classified under:
Nouns denoting foods and drinks
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
mash (mixture of ground animal feeds)
Sense 6
Meaning:
A line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game
Synonyms:
scratch; scratch line; start; starting line
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
line (in games or sports; a mark indicating positions or bounds of the playing area)
Sense 7
Meaning:
A competitor who has withdrawn from competition
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
challenger; competition; competitor; contender; rival (the contestant you hope to defeat)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Informal terms for money
Synonyms:
boodle; bread; cabbage; clams; dinero; dough; gelt; kale; lettuce; lolly; loot; lucre; moolah; pelf; scratch; shekels; simoleons; sugar; wampum
Classified under:
Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
money (the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender)
Sense 9
Meaning:
A depression scratched or carved into a surface
Synonyms:
dent; incision; prick; scratch; slit
Classified under:
Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
depression; impression; imprint (a concavity in a surface produced by pressing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "scratch"):
score; scotch (a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally))
Derivation:
scratch (cut the surface of; wear away the surface of)
Sense 10
Meaning:
An abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off
Synonyms:
abrasion; excoriation; scrape; scratch
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):
lesion; wound (an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "scratch"):
graze (a superficial abrasion)
rope burn (abrasion (usually on the hands) caused by friction from a rope)
Derivation:
scratch (cause friction)
scratch (cut the surface of; wear away the surface of)
scratch (scrape or rub as if to relieve itching)
scratchy (causing abrasion)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they scratch ... he / she / it scratches
Past simple: scratched
Past participle: scratched
-ing form: scratching
Sense 1
Meaning:
Cause friction
Example:
my sweater scratches
Synonyms:
chafe; fray; fret; rub; scratch
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "scratch" is one way to...):
adjoin; contact; meet; touch (be in direct physical contact with; make contact)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Something ----s somebody
Derivation:
scratch (an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Cut the surface of; wear away the surface of
Synonyms:
scrape; scratch; scratch up
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "scratch" is one way to...):
incise (make an incision into by carving or cutting)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "scratch"):
claw (scratch, scrape, pull, or dig with claws or nails)
scuff (mar by scuffing)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Also:
scratch out (strike or cancel by or as if by rubbing or crossing out)
Derivation:
scratch (an indication of damage)
scratch (a depression scratched or carved into a surface)
scratch (an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off)
scratcher (a device used for scratching)
scratcher (a workman who uses a tool for scratching)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface
Example:
the lovers scratched their names into the bark of the tree
Synonyms:
engrave; grave; inscribe; scratch
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "scratch" is one way to...):
carve; chip at (engrave or cut by chipping away at a surface)
Verb group:
engrave; etch (carve or cut a design or letters into)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "scratch"):
character (engrave or inscribe characters on)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 4
Meaning:
Gather (money or other resources) together over time
Example:
they scratched a meager living
Synonyms:
come up; scrape; scrape up; scratch
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "scratch" is one way to...):
accumulate; amass; collect; compile; hoard; pile up; roll up (get or gather together)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "scratch"):
nickel-and-dime (accumulate gradually)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 5
Meaning:
Remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line
Example:
scratch that remark
Synonyms:
excise; expunge; scratch; strike
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "scratch" is one way to...):
cancel; delete (remove or make invisible)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Sense 6
Meaning:
Scrape or rub as if to relieve itching
Example:
Don't scratch your insect bites!
Synonyms:
itch; rub; scratch
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "scratch" is one way to...):
irritate (excite to an abnormal condition, or chafe or inflame)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Derivation:
scratch (an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off)
scratcher (a person who scratches to relieve an itch)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled
Example:
scratch that meeting--the chair is ill
Synonyms:
call off; cancel; scratch; scrub
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
"Scratch" entails doing...:
schedule (make a schedule; plan the time and place for events)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Context examples:
He was scratching about among the litter of papers upon his desk.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
While Ford, in his English-French, was conversing with Tita in her Italian-French, the old man was carefully examining his precious head to see that no scratch had been left upon its surface.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Atopic dermatitis symptoms range from minor itchiness to extreme discomfort that can disrupt a child’s sleep and can lead to recurrent infections in scratched, broken skin.
(Scientists identify unique subtype of eczema linked to food allergy, National Institutes of Health)
They are often itchy, but scratching them can spread the sores.
(Impetigo, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
Itching is skin tingling or irritation that makes you want to scratch the itchy area.
(Itching, NIH)
"When they scratched against the tin it made a cold shiver run down my back. What is that little animal you are so tender of?"
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
Scratching the skin triggers a series of immune responses culminating in an increased number of activated mast cells — immune cells involved in allergic reactions — in the small intestine.
(Scratching the skin primes the gut for allergic reactions to food, mouse study suggests, National Institutes of Health)
"Pooh! No—a mere scratch. Don't be so overcome, man: bear up! I'll fetch a surgeon for you now, myself: you'll be able to be removed by morning, I hope. Jane," he continued.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
I shall claim forfeit if you don’t come to scratch.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
A raised, inflamed skin reaction to pressure from rubbing or scratching.
(Dermatographism, NCI Thesaurus)
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