How to Use scratch in a Sentence

scratch

1 of 2 verb
Definition of scratchnext
Synonyms for scratchnext
  • The dog scratched its ear.
  • The dog was scratching at the door.
  • The little boy scratched lines in the dirt with a stick.
  • Will you scratch my back for me?
  • Careful, the cat will scratch.
  • Someone scratched the paint on my car.
  • Be careful not to scratch the table.
  • Thorns scratched our legs as we climbed through the briars.
  • Scratching the itch only makes it worse.
  • You shouldn't scratch. It'll just make your itch worse.
  • Use a garden rake to scratch loose the soil at the bald spot in your lawn.
    — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 22 Aug. 2023
  • Read on for movies that’ll scratch that Barbie itch, and where to stream them.
    — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 31 July 2023
  • Back the tiles with felt to keep them from scratching surfaces.
    — Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2023
  • The key, of course, is to give your cat a place to scratch that both of you find acceptable.
    — Mary Jo Dilonardo, Treehugger, 10 Sep. 2023
  • But the day before the race, an ankle injury forced him to scratch.
    — Ryan Black, The Courier-Journal, 7 May 2023
  • But hours before the world’s most famous race, the horse was scratched because of a bruised foot.
    — September Downing, San Antonio Express-News, 6 May 2023
  • Lord Miles, who also was trained by Joseph, was scratched from the Derby.
    — Paul Newberry, ajc, 5 May 2023
  • Be careful not to scratch the paint, and avoid washing it for at least two weeks.
    — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023
  • This just scratches the surface, but take a breath with me here.
    — Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 14 July 2023
  • Forte, who scratched on race day for the Kentucky Derby, was made the 5-2 favorite breaking from the six.
    — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2023
  • As sweet as my feline best friend is, her claws can leave a mark, so the fact that I wasn’t scratched at all is a huge feat.
    — Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
  • During the attack, the girl was scratched and suffered a single bite, per the paper.
    — Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 9 Oct. 2023
  • Fill in holes, dents, or scratches with wood filler or spackle.
    — Grace Haynes, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2023
  • And if the lenses of your solar glasses are scratched damaged?
    — John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Apr. 2024
  • Make sure your eclipse glasses are not damaged or scratched.
    — Michael E. Bakich, Discover Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024
  • Talk to a health care provider about treatment if your are bitten, scratched or unsure.
    — Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 17 Aug. 2023
  • Females scratch a nest into the soil underneath a sage brush or in grass.
    — Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 11 Jan. 2024
  • Marchment left Game 4 due to injury and Hakanpää was scratched.
    — Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, 11 May 2023
  • Adding an abrasive can also help, but be careful not to scratch the glass.
    — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
  • Look for anything loose, crooked, damaged, or scratched.
    — Dalia Faheid, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2024
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scratch

2 of 2 noun
  • There's a scratch in the paint on the new car!
  • We don't have the scratch to buy a new car.
  • The only sound in the room during the test was the scratch of pencils on paper.
  • I got a scratch on my leg when I climbed the fence.
  • The table is an antique but it doesn't have any dents or scratches.
  • So, the team dreamt one up from scratch with moody black tiles.
    — Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 28 July 2023
  • Someone dared put a scratch on the future face of the NHL.
    — Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023
  • There's a large bar and 70-some screens, but Walk-On’s boasts a scratch kitchen.
    — Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 12 May 2023
  • The restaurant makes many of its menu items from scratch each day.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 8 June 2023
  • Well, scratch that, as Brown would make a point to correct me.
    — Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 26 May 2023
  • The kooky shapes that adorn Weird Barbie’s home were built from scratch.
    — María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
  • Don’t tilt the blade sideways, which might cause a corner to dig in and scratch.
    — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023
  • Over the course of the movie’s 11-week shoot, four large-scale sets had to be constructed from scratch.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023
  • As for actual scratches, the last time there were this many was in 1936.
    — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023
  • Forte was the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby until a race-day scratch.
    — C.l. Brown, The Courier-Journal, 23 May 2023
  • Or, take your pie up a notch by making a flaky homemade pie crust from scratch.
    — Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2023
  • Better yet, all the bread, burger buns and pizza dough are made in house, from scratch.
    — Marina Johnson, Detroit Free Press, 12 Aug. 2023
  • All of this is but a scratch on the surface of WDC 2024, but next year will be an action- and idea-packed one in our border region.
    — Dirk Sutro, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2023
  • Smoke from campfires meets the cloud of dirt kicked up by our tires, stinging our eyes and leaving a scratch in our throats.
    — David Culver, CNN, 1 Oct. 2023
  • Hilton says she was held in solitary confinement, the walls covered in scratch marks and blood stains.
    — Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Ghost Town Bakery The Knott’s pastry department makes all the desserts from scratch.
    — Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024
  • Return to menu Many recipes for french fries from scratch call for a double fry — first to cook the potatoes and second to crisp them.
    — Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 8 May 2023
  • Nevertheless, a preapproved plan will move through the process faster than a plan done from scratch.
    — Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2023
  • Benn’s return means that one player in the lineup the previous two games will be a healthy scratch.
    — Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, 29 May 2023
  • Eclipse glasses with scratches or damage are not safe to use.
    — USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024
  • Glazer’s team rebuilt the Höss home and garden from scratch, as well as the camp walls surrounding it.
    — Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2024
  • Even people who aren’t bakers can often pull off treats made from a boxed mix or from scratch.
    — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2024
  • His wife, Geri, makes all the sides from scratch, including cabbage, collards, and black-eyed peas.
    — Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 13 June 2023
  • Three cars were fabricated from scratch while the fourth was made from an ex P3 chassis.
    — Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024
  • There haven't been this many Derby scratches since 1936, when five entrants pulled out just before the race.
    — David K. Li, NBC News, 7 May 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scratch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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