scratch

noun

A disruption, mark or shallow cut on a surface made by scratching.

An act of scratching the skin to alleviate an itch or irritation.

(sports) A starting line (originally and simply, a line scratched in the ground), as in boxing.

(sports) A technical error of touching or surpassing the starting mark prior to the official start signal in the sporting events of long jump, discus, hammer throw, shot put, and similar. Originally the starting mark was a scratch on the ground but is now a board or precisely indicated mark.

(sports) (cycling) The last riders to depart in a handicap race.

(sports) (billiards) An aberration.

(sports) A foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.

(sports) (horse racing) A horse withdrawn from a race prior to the start.

(meiosis) A minor injury.

(slang) Money; especially, cash.

A feed, usually a mixture of a few common grains, given to chickens.

(in the plural) Minute, but tender and troublesome, excoriations, covered with scabs, upon the heels of horses which have been used where it is very wet or muddy.

(music) A genre of Virgin Islander music, better known as fungi.

Poor handwriting; especially, illegibly so.

Nothing, zero. Used especially in card games or sports, but also expressions like "from scatch".

(sports) (archaic, US, slang) A shot which scores by chance and not as intended by the player; a fluke.

(programming) A free educational visual programming language developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab.

A surname.

(now historical) A scratch wig.

verb

To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.

To rub the skin with rough material causing a sensation of irritation; to cause itching.

To irritate someone's skin with one's unshaven beard when kissing.

To mark a surface with a sharp object, thereby leaving a scratch (noun).

(of a surface) to get such scratches

To cross out, strike out, strike through some text on a page.

Hence, to remove, ignore, or delete.

(music) To produce a distinctive sound on a turntable by moving a vinyl record back and forth while manipulating the crossfader (see also scratching).

(billiards) To commit a foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.

To write or draw hastily or awkwardly; scrawl.

(ambitransitive) To dig or excavate with the claws.

To dig or scrape (a person's skin) with claws or fingernails in self-defense or with the intention to injure.

(swimming, athletics) To announce one's non-participation in a race or sports event part of a larger sports meeting that one was previously signed up for, usually in lieu of another event at the same meeting.

(billiards, dated, US) To score, not by skillful play but by some fortunate chance of the game.

adjective

For or consisting of preliminary or tentative, incomplete, etc. work.

Hastily assembled, arranged or constructed, from whatever materials are to hand, with little or no preparation

(computing) Relating to a scratchpad, a data structure or recording medium attached to a machine for testing or temporary use.

(sports) (of a player) Of a standard high enough to play without a handicap, i.e. to compete without the benefit of a variation in scoring based on ability.

Synonyms for scratch

scrapen itchv abrasionn rubn scarn chafev scribblev scrawln scuffv scrubv engravev incisionn abradev cicatrixn scarifyv expungev inscribev

Synonyms & related words for scratch

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of scratch — including scrape, itch, abrasion, rub, scar, chafe. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to scratch

Explore words related to scratch — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include dent, excoriation, clapperclaw, rasorial, unscratched, cratch, fingernails, scrapings. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for scratch

Common synonyms for scratch include scrape, itch, abrasion, rub, scar, chafe, scribble, scrawl — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.