Link Centre Dictionary

scratch

UK/skɹæt͡ʃ/ US/ˈskrætʃ/ common slang us
verb (3) noun (7)

verb

1.

cause friction

  • “my sweater scratches”
Synonyms
2.

cut the surface of; wear away the surface of

Synonyms
3.

scrape or rub as if to relieve itching

  • “Don”
Synonyms

noun

1.

an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off

Synonyms
2.
3.
4.
5.

a harsh noise made by scraping

  • “the scrape of violin bows distracted her”
Synonyms
6.
7.

Origin

From Middle English scracchen, of uncertain origin. Probably a blend of Middle English scratten (“to scratch”) and cracchen (“to scratch”). More at scrat and cratch.

Phrases

  • cat scratch
  • cat scratch disease
  • cat-scratch fever
  • chicken scratch
  • come to the scratch
  • needle scratch
  • no great scratch
  • Old Scratch
  • scratch a liberal and a fascist bleeds
  • scratch a liberal and you'll find a fascist
  • scratch a living
  • scratch an itch

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.