SCRATCH

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does scratch mean? 

• SCRATCH (noun)
  The noun SCRATCH has 10 senses:

1. an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off

2. a depression scratched or carved into a surface

3. informal terms for money

4. a competitor who has withdrawn from competition

5. a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game

6. dry mash for poultry

7. a harsh noise made by scraping

8. poor handwriting

9. (golf) a handicap of zero strokes

10. an indication of damage

  Familiarity information: SCRATCH used as a noun is familiar.

• SCRATCH (verb)
  The verb SCRATCH has 7 senses:

1. cause friction

2. cut the surface of; wear away the surface of

3. scrape or rub as if to relieve itching

4. postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled

5. remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line

6. gather (money or other resources) together over time

7. carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface

  Familiarity information: SCRATCH used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SCRATCH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

abrasion; excoriation; scrape; scratch

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A depression scratched or carved into a surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

dent; incision; prick; scratch; slit

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 3

Meaning:

Informal terms for money

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

boodle; bread; cabbage; clams; dinero; dough; gelt; kale; lettuce; lolly; loot; lucre; moolah; pelf; scratch; shekels; simoleons; sugar; wampum

Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):

money (the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A competitor who has withdrawn from competition

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):

challenger; competition; competitor; contender; rival (the contestant you hope to defeat)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

scratch; scratch line; start; starting line

Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):

line (in games or sports; a mark indicating positions or bounds of the playing area)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Dry mash for poultry

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

chicken feed; scratch

Hypernyms ("scratch" is a kind of...):

mash (mixture of ground animal feeds)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A harsh noise made by scraping

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

scrape; scraping; scratch; scratching

Context example:

the scrape of violin bows distracted her

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 8

Meaning:

Poor handwriting

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

cacography; scratch; scrawl; scribble

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 9

Meaning:

(golf) a handicap of zero strokes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

a golfer who plays at scratch should be able to achieve par on a course

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 10

Meaning:

An indication of damage

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

mark; scar; scrape; scratch

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)

• SCRATCH (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause friction

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

chafe; fray; fret; rub; scratch

Context example:

my sweater scratches

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

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

scrape; scratch; scratch up

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:

Scrape or rub as if to relieve itching

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

itch; rub; scratch

Context example:

Don't scratch your insect bites!

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 4

Meaning:

Postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

call off; cancel; scratch; scrub

Context example:

scratch that meeting--the chair is ill

"Scratch" entails doing...:

schedule (make a schedule; plan the time and place for events)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

excise; expunge; scratch; strike

Context example:

scratch that remark

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:

Gather (money or other resources) together over time

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

come up; scrape; scrape up; scratch

Context example:

they scratched a meager living

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 7

Meaning:

Carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

engrave; grave; inscribe; scratch

Context example:

the lovers scratched their names into the bark of the tree

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

 Context examples 

Halloa! what is that scratch upon the face of it?

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It was without a scratch or scar of any kind.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

François scratched his head again.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

I have that curiosity beside me at this moment, but not a trace of writing now remains beyond a single scratch, such as a man might make with his thumb-nail.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

“We scratched our other one, and put all hopes on your word,” said the Colonel.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If the bite or scratch gets infected or if you have symptoms of CSD, call your doctor.

(Cat Scratch Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

It is transmitted to humans from a scratch, bite, or lick from a cat.

(Cat-Scratch Disease, NCI Thesaurus)

Symptoms are: • Tickling feeling in the hair • Frequent itching • Sores from scratching • Irritability and difficulty sleeping.

(Head Lice, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Look how you have scratched my cheek.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face, and spat, and scratched at him.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)