scratch
verb /skrætʃ/
/skrætʃ/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they scratch | /skrætʃ/ /skrætʃ/ |
| he / she / it scratches | /ˈskrætʃɪz/ /ˈskrætʃɪz/ |
| past simple scratched | /skrætʃt/ /skrætʃt/ |
| past participle scratched | /skrætʃt/ /skrætʃt/ |
| -ing form scratching | /ˈskrætʃɪŋ/ /ˈskrætʃɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to rub your skin with your nails, usually because it is itching
- scratch something John yawned and scratched his chin.
- scratch (yourself) The dog scratched itself behind the ear.
- Try not to scratch.
- scratch at something She scratched at the insect bites on her arm.
Extra Examples- He absently scratched his head.
- He kept scratching at his nose.
- He scratched at his beard for a few seconds.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- absently
- lightly
- …
- at
- on
- with
- …
- [transitive, intransitive] to cut or damage your skin slightly with something sharp
- scratch (somebody/something/yourself) I'd scratched my leg and it was bleeding.
- Does the cat scratch?
- scratch somebody/something/yourself on something She scratched herself on a nail.
Extra ExamplesTopics Illnessb2- I scratched my arm on a rose bush.
- She scratched his face with her nails.
- She had obviously tried to scratch her attacker.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- absently
- lightly
- …
- at
- on
- with
- …
- [transitive] scratch something to damage the surface of something, especially by accident, by making thin shallow marks on it
- Be careful not to scratch the furniture.
- The car's paintwork is badly scratched.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- absently
- lightly
- …
- at
- on
- with
- …
- [transitive] scratch something + adv./prep. to make or remove a mark, etc. on something deliberately, by rubbing it with something hard or sharp
- They scratched lines in the dirt to mark out a pitch.
- Some graffiti had been scratched on the back of the door.
- We scratched some of the dirt away.
- (figurative) You can scratch my name off the list.
- [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to make an annoying noise by rubbing something with something sharp
- His pen scratched away on the paper.
- We could hear mice scratching behind the wall.
- The dog kept scratching at the door to go out.
- [transitive] scratch a living to make enough money to live on, but with difficulty
- 75% of the population scratch a living from the soil.
- [transitive, intransitive] to decide that something cannot happen or somebody/something cannot take part in something, before it starts
- scratch somebody/something to scratch a rocket launch
- scratch somebody/something from something The horse was scratched from the race because of injury.
- scratch (from something) She had scratched because of a knee injury.
rub with your nails
cut skin
damage surface
make/remove mark
make sound
a living
cancel
Word Originlate Middle English: probably a blend of the synonymous dialect words scrat and cratch, both of uncertain origin; compare with Middle Low German kratsen and Old High German krazzōn.
Idioms
scratch your head (over something)
- to think hard in order to find an answer to something
- Experts have been scratching their heads over the increase in teenage crime.
scratch the surface (of something)
- to deal with, understand, or find out about only a small part of a subject or problem
- We left feeling that we had just scratched the surface of this fascinating country.
- The investigation barely scratched the surface of the city's drug problem.
you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours
- (saying) used to say that if somebody helps you, you will help them, even if this is unfair to others