1with object Drag or pull a hard or sharp implement across (a surface or object) so as to remove dirt or other matter.

1. 1.1with object and adverbial Use a sharp or hard implement to remove (dirt or unwanted matter) from something.
   she scraped the mud off her shoes

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Watch it carefully to see when it begins to soften, then immediately remove the heat and scrape the adhesive off with a putty knife.
   • The fishing piers create viable habitats for creatures such as oysters, mussels and sponges which are easily scraped from the sides of the pilings.
   • I then used the card to scrape the ice off the windshield.
   • Over the next half-day, opium will seep out through these holes in the form of a milky sap that can be scraped off the side of the pod.
   • The traffic spokesperson said all roads in the province were open again after graders were used to scrape snow and ice off the tar.
   • Rising to his feet, he scraped some moss off of the side of the tree, carefully putting it into a container, and shook the rest off his hands.
   • Here's some of the dirt you scraped from the undersides of your gumshoes.
   • Research now indicates that the mold which people usually scrape off the surface of jellies may not be as harmless as it seems.
   • Penny, who books bands for the Gladstone Hotel, is scraping a ‘breakfast special’ decal off the window.
   • This was the golden age of steam and his first job was cleaning locomotives inside and out, which meant scraping the ashes out of the fireboxes, a hard, dusty and dirty job.
   • Ship hulls could be encased in rust that had to be scraped or cut off; potentially valuable copper wires had to be separated from worthless refuse.
   • The grease will harden and can then be scraped off with a knife.
   • He picked up a twig from the ground and scraped the dirt off his boots before stepping into a small scullery and calling out.
   • I just spent an hour scraping dirt off chairs for a party I'm not even going to.
   • The milky fluid is scraped off the pods and hardens into a brown gum that is raw opium.
   • Kowalski scraped dirt from the machine until he uncovered the name of the manufacturer, which, luckily, was still in business.
   • He was scraping the dirt off of the hoof of a horse.
   • The glue and paint residue will have to be scraped and sanded after you have put the solvent on the concrete slab.
   • I had to go up on the roof yesterday to scrape the snow and ice off the TV antenna.
   • He pointed to a spot on the weapon's surface which had been worn down a bit, as if someone had tried to scrape something off the surface.

   Synonyms

   abrade, grate, sand, sandpaper, scour, scratch, rub, file, rasp
2. 1.2with object and adverbial Apply (a hard or sharp implement) to a surface so as to remove dirt or other matter.
   he scraped the long-bladed razor across the stubble on his cheek

   Example sentencesExamples

   • He walked out into the alleyway, scraping the knives along a wall and causing sparks to fly from the blade in the darkened alley.
   • He walked out into the alleyway, scraping the knife along a brick wall and causing sparks to fly from the blade in the darkened alley.
   • Now, I understand that there are a probably a host of reasons that one might want to spend their spare time scraping a razor along their most delicate of parts.
   • She saw him park and then she scraped her key along the side of his car, scratching the paint.

   Synonyms

   abrade, grate, sand, sandpaper, scour, scratch, rub, file, rasp
3. 1.3 Make (a hollow) by scraping away soil or rock.
   he found a ditch, scraped a hole, and put the bag in it

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Elsewhere in Sri Lanka, residents took on burial efforts with forks or even bare hands to scrape a final resting place for victims.
   • We drove along a barely made road that petered out into a dirt track scraped out of the red sandy soil.

   Synonyms

   scoop out, hollow out, dig out, dig, excavate, gouge out, quarry, make

2Rub or cause to rub by accident against a rough or hard surface, causing damage or injury.

1. 2.1with object Draw or move (something) along or over something else, making a harsh noise.
   she scraped back her chair and stood up

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Bender takes a single key from his pocket and scrapes its tip along the plaster of the wall, the sound a dry kind of whistle.
   • In the opening scenes, her pool party guests lazily scrape their sun chairs along the deck making an incredible racket.
   • Biting into this is almost a miniature version of scraping your fingernails along a blackboard.
   • Still looking away, she stood up, scraping her stool along the tile floor.
   • I could hear my room-mates scraping their chairs back as they quickly jumped up to follow me.
   • ‘I guess I just needed to hear it,’ he muttered, scraping his chair back.
   • Raven shook his head and scraped his foot along the tiles until they squeaked their protest.
   • I folded my arms over my chest and looked down, scraping my foot against the pavement in a circular motion.
   • The brown-haired man stood, scraping the chair back, and held his hand out to her across the desk.
   • Chairs were scraped back and many of the men exited the dining room at the news and Arial glanced after them impatiently.
   • I scraped the stone against the blade harder, hoping to drown out her voice and signify that I didn't want to talk.
2. 2.2no object Move with or make a harsh scraping sound.
   she lifted the gate to prevent it scraping along the ground

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Along with the voices come some shuffling sounds, likes shoes scraping against concrete.
   • There was a brief pause, as neither of us said anything; the only sound was the needle of my fountain pen scraping mundanely on the rough paper.
   • Spoons clatter, wooden benches scrape against the stone floor.
   • Ms. Lamell shouted over the sounds of chairs and desks scraping against the floor.
   • The box scraped hard over the small rocks and sand creating an unsettling noise.
   • The van's sliding door scraped open and three kids got out; a boy and a girl in their early teens, and another boy a few years younger.
   • Suddenly she heard the sound of chains scraping as they descended the stairs, accompanied by the heavy footsteps of the goblins.
   • His father's voice spoke closer and he heard his boots scrape against the steps.
   • He could hear something scraping against the rough walls.
   • He crept a little more into the alley, his boots scraping on the abandoned cobblestones.
   • Kael looked up at the sound of the chair scraping back along the ground.
   • The screech of streetcars as their metal wheels scrape against metal tracks - I kept calling them trams and confusing those who didn't understand my origins.
   • I stayed at her side as we threaded our way through the room, accompanied by the sound of furniture scraping on the floor as patrons shied away from me.
   • Josephine nodded in my direction and I heard the sound of a chair scraping against the wooden floor.
   • I heard something scrape against the wall and turned to see Emma striking a match.
   • I heard utensils scrape against the kitchen ware.
   • I heard shoes scrape against gravel, and I felt Dylan being yanked away from me.
   • By the sound of the leather boots scraping against the ground, I realized that it was Master Hermance.
   • His boot heels scraped against the hardwood floor, eliciting a clipped echo from the plank boards.
   • Lilith opened the door, careful to lift it slightly so that it would not scrape against the ground.

   Synonyms

   grate, creak, grind, jar, rasp, scratch, drag, rub, squeak, screech, grit, set someone's teeth on edge
3. 2.3humorous no object Play a violin tunelessly.
   Olivia was scraping away at her violin

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The drones and bleeps give way to the empty spaces of ‘Native Einstein’, whose bells and cymbals and scraping violins seem to speak of desolation and loss.
4. 2.4scrape something backwith object Draw one's hair tightly back off the forehead.
   her hair was scraped back into a bun

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Dressed all in black with high-heeled boots, her hair is scraped back in a ponytail, revealing sculpted cheekbones.
   • I quizzed Roxanne as she scraped her dark hair back into a tight bun.
   • I tugged the toast out of my mouth and dropped it on the plate, grabbing a hair tie from a surface nearby and scraping my hair back into a ponytail.
   • I stuffed my feet into my tennis shoes and scraped my hair back into a messy pony tail.
   • My hair was scraped back into a painfully tight and still considerably wet ponytail.
   • He wrote, ‘She is known for scraping her hair back into an ultra-tight, skin-tautening ponytail dubbed the Croydon facelift.‘
   • It certainly isn't a glamorous photo - I wasn't wearing any make-up, my hair was scraped back and my clothes look crumpled and unflattering.
   • She was pale and had a slim figure and her hair was scraped back into a messy bun.
   • She was short like her daughter but her hair was scraped back in a bun and she was a bit on the plump side.
   • Strikingly tall and model-thin, her hair is scraped back from her face and hangs down her back in a thick, dark, waist-length plait.
   • She says, ‘You got all that pretty hair, why you scrape it back so sharply?’
   • I wander into the open plan dining area and scrape my hair back again.
   • It's in the way she wears her sleeves over her hands and the way she absent-mindedly scrapes her hair back into a ponytail.
5. 2.5British with object and adverbial Spread (butter or margarine) thinly over bread.
   she became involved with scraping butter on to a piece of toast

3no object, with adverbial Narrowly pass by or through something.

1. 3.1no object, with adverbial Barely manage to succeed in a particular undertaking.
   Bowden scraped in with 180 votes at the last election

   he scraped through the entrance exam

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Germany, Italy and Belgium scraped in at the bottom.
   • The bill only scraped by due to a provision of the voting regulations which interprets an abstention as a vote in favour.
   • I have enough marks though to at least scrape through with a pass for this subject.
   • Fortunately they still managed to scrape through Olympic qualification after finishing seventh at last year's World Champs.
   • However, the officials are claiming that the existing storage is sufficient to scrape through during summer.
   • Fifteen points down with 10 minutes to go, a grandstand finish saw the Lakers scrape through by five points.
   • After almost four years wait and a £1m video George Michael has just scraped in at number seven in this week's chart.
   • In the second game played on Sunday Moone scraped through to the next round of the cup by the skin of their teeth.
   • When that discussion did happen, the proposal to twin with Omaha only scraped through when put to a vote.
   • Tam is the one who got lots of Highers; I scraped into university.
   • New Labour scraped home the same day in the Hartlepool by-election.
   • ‘I just scraped in and hopefully that will be enough to gain selection,’ said O'Sullivan.
   • Claims like those should make anyone suspicious, even those who have barely scraped through high school biology.
   • The band barely scraped into the Sophos list at number nine.
   • She shirked her schoolwork, preferred to spend her time drawing, but aced every test and so managed to scrape by with C's.
   • When he was first elected to the Dail in 1982 he just scraped in by 111 votes.
   • He arrived in Athens ranked sixth in the world, but only just scraped into the semi-finals after qualifying in 16th place.
   • The Higher Education Bill scraped through the Commons at second reading by just five votes in January.
   • I probably managed to scrape by with a D or something.
   • The rest of us scraped through the exam and afterwards forgot everything we had learned.

   Synonyms

   just pass, pass and no more, pass by a narrow margin, just succeed in, narrowly achieve
2. 3.2with object Just manage to achieve; accomplish with great effort or difficulty.
   Scotland scraped a lucky home draw with Portugal

   for some years he scraped a living as a tutor

   Example sentencesExamples

   • In recent months the Clyde has been a popular place to fish and most boats have always managed to scrape a fairly decent week's wages.
   • Now she's scraping a living together, in large part due to gifts she gets from townsfolk in return for her psychic card readings.
   • Even though we were down a man almost from the start, we managed to scrape a 9-9 draw.
   • Mom can just scrape the money for this, but not easily.
   • I don't know how she did it, but she managed to scrape a seventy-four percent approval of the petition.
   • Though they had difficulty scraping a living, they somehow managed to feed, clothe and even send to school their army of poor kids.
   • This was the mistake that Anthony Ricketts made the last time they met in Dutch league, with Ricketts scraping a hard fought win in 4.
   • They've been scraping a living along the East Coast for centuries - an ancient Enclosure Act mentions a parcel of land being set aside for them in Hornsea.
   • There was another dramatic game in Edinburgh as Aberdeen Asset Management scraped a 4-3 victory over MIM.
   • The Englishmen struggled to scrape a 1-0 win in Sarajevo, and managed to extend the margin back home only because of an exceptional performance by Kieron Dyer.
   • Darwin the gentleman was secure in his world of privilege and power while Wallace the impoverished enthusiast scraped a living selling butterflies and birdskins.
   • Liu now scrapes a living writing articles on political reform in China.
   • Volunteers Reserves had to work hard to scrape a 4-3 win over Sporting Civil Service with Kev Jackson scoring twice.
   • The Haxby-based side played two games against White Horse and just scraped a 1-0 win with a goal from Richard Hunt.
   • As a result, his farm scrapes a modest £20,000 a year profit, which he claims ‘supports three families’.
   • I was bright enough to spot something that needed to be done and made it mine to some extent and scraped a living out of it.
   • They managed to turn it around to scrape a 14-12 victory but for Atkins there was no pride in victory.
   • If they do manage to scrape a living, they say, it is by running more cows with less help and working 70-80 hours a week themselves.
   • He was 26, scraping a living as a private tutor, and came to call with his dashing friend Edward Irving, who had once been Jane's teacher.
   • For the few who can beg, borrow and scrape enough money and courage to place their lives in the hands of a people smuggler, they try to get to countries like Australia.

   Synonyms

   achieve, secure, obtain, seize, pluck, wrest
3. 3.3scrape something together/up Collect or accumulate something with difficulty.
   they could hardly scrape up enough money for one ticket, let alone two

   Example sentencesExamples

   • To go travelling further next year I'll need to scrape some savings together as this trip has rather depleted them.
   • It was a haphazard process, dependent on individual initiative and whatever funding could be scraped together.
   • I couldn't remember half of what I'd written, and I'd have to cancel my volunteer work to scrape enough time together to get it done.
   • There are teams like Tonga, who could barely scrape enough money together to get here.
   • How we ever scraped the money together to buy gobstoppers and comics after all this outlay of our precious resources was down to odd jobs and paper rounds.
   • She managed to scrape a few rands together to put her children through school and put food on the table.
   • I just hope now that I can scrape enough tack together from other places to be able to run some lessons as planned.
   • Most of my close female single friends live in squalid flats and have difficulty scraping up the rent.
   • Every time I can scrape a few quid together, I smack 'em straight into the premium bonds.
   • I have no money after barely managing to scrape the rent together last Friday, and my bank account is woefully overdrawn.
   • We bought this place by scraping the money together, borrowing and scrabbling about.
   • Last weekend was horrible - we were literally, completely skint and I even had to scrape some coppers together for toilet tissue!
   • The surviving examples have been scraped up by serious collectors or modified into later models.
   • He knew how hard it was for some employees to scrape up a down payment.
   • Smith has built something from virtually nothing, scraping a festival together and building it slowly over decades.
   • The website doesn't contain contact information for any of their MPs, and only a few incomplete details can be scraped together from the Government Portal.
   • After coming to graduate school, I scraped a little money together and went to a therapist for a while.
   • That will be forgotten eventually as the evidence is scraped together for the post-mortem.
   • The tuition is rather lofy but I dare say we can scrape it together for the sake of our children.
   • Joanne is busy applying to grant-awarding bodies to try to scrape the cash together so she can take up her place on the three-year course.

   Synonyms

   collect, amass, gather, rake together, rake up, dredge up, get hold of, raise, muster, accumulate, build up
4. 3.4no object Try to save as much money as possible; economize.
   they had scrimped and scraped and saved for years

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Lamb prices had been off, so Oren was scraping hard to make his feed payments.
   • In reality it is a country sharply divided between a privileged segment of society and millions of workers and middle class people scraping ever harder to make a living.
   • I scrimped and scraped to get everything they wanted.
   • When she was their age, she thinks, we had to scrimp and scrape for soap.
5. 3.5scrape by/alongno object Manage to live with difficulty.
   she has to scrape by on Social Security

   Example sentencesExamples

   • For the average Equatoguinean, scraping by on roughly $2 a day, $3,000 is an unimaginable fortune.
   • With the family already scraping by on his income as manager of the sporting goods emporium, his brother's arrival makes things tighter in every way.
   • We lived in a place in south Halifax with no water or heat during the winter and were really just scraping by.
   • The family lived in public housing and scraped by on public assistance.
   • Under the one parent family payment, people are still scraping by financially.
   • And it got to the point where I was working two jobs at a time and we were still just barely scraping by.
   • For six months, her family scraped by on her husband's income, she says, with no benefits for her injuries.
   • He was barely making enough to scrape by already, living with friends, buying insulin and test strips and such without script insurance, making his payments to the credit counseling place.
   • Although a skilled sailmaker, he was now scraping by working in a park and living in a caravan.
   • Shamelessly exploited by his respective bosses, he still only just scrapes by despite the long hours he works.
   • ‘We're always clawing and scraping by,’ Forrest said of the centre's finances.
   • The fundraising manager said: ‘It's damned hard work and we only just manage to scrape by.’
   • He managed to scrape by, staying at shelters or with friends and getting after-school work at restaurants.
   • Awili manages to scrape by with donated lentils, rice, potatoes, milk and sometimes chicken, but she can't afford the healthy food a doctor recommended for her and her newborn.
   • There she would observe working-class women, scraping by to clothe their brood.
   • Speaking of money, I've put together a tentative monthly budget because I'm sick of always scraping by from paycheck to paycheck.
   • She grew up poor and has spent most of her adult life scraping by on a disability pension.
   • I was just scraping along and doing the credit card thing again.
   • These are old-timers that came up through the Depression, scraping by and living the hard way.
   • Now, they are divided into wealthy, successful musicians on the one hand and those scraping by with day jobs on the other.

   Synonyms

   manage, cope, survive, muddle through/along, scrape along, make ends meet, get by/along, make do, manage to live with difficulty, barely/scarcely manage to live, barely/scarcely have enough to live on, keep the wolf from the door, keep one's head above water, scrimp, scrape a living

   informal make out

4with object Copy (data) from a website using a computer program.

1An act or sound of scraping.

1. 1.1 An injury or mark caused by scraping.
   there was a long, shallow scrape on his shin

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Several weeks later, a woman is rushed into the emergency room with multiple bruises, scrapes, and abrasions.
   • I've taken my own licks and scrapes, but none as bad as that wound there on your shoulder.
   • Obviously, the knee pads prevent injury or scrapes to the knees, and the elbow pads prevent injury or scrapes to the elbows.
   • The difficulty in manoeuvring the wheelchair through the narrow house shows in the scrapes and marks on the walls.
   • Other than the cut on her hand and a scrape on her shin from the tree, she was fine.
   • The injuries are more than scrapes and bruises.
   • Helmets can mean the difference between a few cuts and scrapes and a serious head injury in two-wheeler accidents.
   • The victim received injuries consisting of scrapes and bruises, however, she was able to fend off her attacker.
   • Chris was bent down beside Cam cleaning up a scrape on his knee.
   • They did not see much of any damage, just a few nicks and scrapes on those shuttle tiles.
   • He checked her for injuries but found only a slight scrape on her shoulder and a larger gash across her cheek.
   • Just like a traditional truck bed liner, a spray on liner will protect trucks from a wide variety of scrapes, scratches, and other debris marks.
   • Set against that, it's like armor plate, and protects the bow against dings and scrapes.
   • The man sustained minor injuries such as cuts and scrapes.
   • There was almost no sign of the facial scrapes and bruises Bush acquired in a weekend bicycle mishap.
   • His whole body covered in scrapes and cuts, with a particular big gash in his right leg that seemed to go to the bone.
   • Wetsuits on - for protection against scrapes and knocks rather than the weather - we hauled our boards and then our sails across the beach to the water's edge.
   • She had earlier begun to notice relatively minor injuries on his body, but these Joe explained away as scrapes and bumps caused during play.
   • Her scrapes were starting to sting, and they had bits of dirt and gravel sticking to them.
   • We found you at the entrance of the base with a broken leg and a broken ribcage not to mention several deep gashes and scrapes.
   • Unless they have been very well taken care of, used boots will always have some scrapes and nicks, but these in no way affect the utility of the boots.
   • The base of the HSF with its copper insert is poorly machined with a lot of marks and scrapes, though it is at least flat.

   Synonyms

   graze, scratch, abrasion, cut, laceration, wound
2. 1.2 A place where soil has been scraped away, especially a shallow hollow formed in the ground by a bird during a courtship display or for nesting.
   ringed plovers incubate eggs in shallow scrapes

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Both sexes start scrapes on mounds or tussocks near the water, and the female picks one.
   • After losing the first egg, oystercatchers often move to a new nest scrape to lay the remaining eggs of the clutch.
   • New Zealand quail nests were shallow scrapes in the ground with grass lining.
   • Both sexes help to make a shallow scrape in soil or sand, which they line with vegetation and other debris.
   • When nesting on a rock ledge, the fulmars do not build a nest, but when they nest on a bank or slope, they make a shallow scrape, occasionally lined with small stones.
   • During the short hours of darkness the parents remain with small chicks making a scrape to brood them.
   • The nest is either a simple scrape lined with a few twigs and feathers or a large stick nest in a tree.
   • While the female builds the nest, a shallow scrape lined with grass and leaves, the male stands guard.
   • Spheniscus species generally use unlined nests in burrows, crevices, caves, or surface scrapes.
   • The male emu will build its nest in a scrape in the ground in the shape of a circle, lined with grass and other vegetation.
3. 1.3British in singular A thinly applied layer of butter or margarine on bread.
   when making sandwiches, use only the thinnest scrape of fat
4. 1.4archaic An obsequious bow in which one foot is drawn backwards along the ground.

2Medicine
informal A procedure of dilatation of the cervix and curettage of the uterus.

3informal An embarrassing or difficult predicament caused by one's own unwise behaviour.