scratch
scratch is a 7-letter English word with 29 senses as transitive verb, intransitive verb, noun, adjective, and verb in the JumbleFix dictionary. One common meaning is: To rub and tear or mark the surface of with something sharp or ragged; to scrape, roughen, or wound slightly by drawing something pointed or rough across, as the claws, the nails, a pin, or the like. Face value is 14 in Scrabble and 15 in Words With Friends. Use the entries below when you need a playable sense, a nearby word, or another arrangement of the same letters.
Definitions
- transitive verb. To rub and tear or mark the surface of with something sharp or ragged; to scrape, roughen, or wound slightly by drawing something pointed or rough across, as the claws, the nails, a pin, or the like.
- transitive verb. To write or draw hastily or awkwardly.
- transitive verb. To cancel by drawing one or more lines through, as the name of a candidate upon a ballot, or of a horse in a list; hence, to erase; to efface; -- often with out.
- transitive verb. To dig or excavate with the claws; as, some animals scratch holes, in which they burrow.
- intransitive verb. To use the claws or nails in tearing or in digging; to make scratches.
- intransitive verb. To score, not by skillful play but by some fortunate chance of the game.
- noun. A break in the surface of a thing made by scratching, or by rubbing with anything pointed or rough; a slight wound, mark, furrow, or incision.
- noun. A line across the prize ring; up to which boxers are brought when they join fight; hence, test, trial, or proof of courage; as, to bring to the scratch; to come up to the scratch.
- noun. 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.
- noun. A kind of wig covering only a portion of the head.
- noun. A shot which scores by chance and not as intended by the player; a fluke.
- adjective. Made, done, or happening by chance; arranged with little or no preparation; determined by circumstances; haphazard; as, a scratch team; a scratch crew for a boat race; a scratch shot in billiards.
- noun. an indication of damage
- noun. (golf) a handicap of zero strokes
"a golfer who plays at scratch should be able to achieve par on a course"
- noun. poor handwriting
- noun. a harsh noise made by scraping
"the scrape of violin bows distracted her"
- noun. dry mash for poultry
- noun. a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game
- noun. a competitor who has withdrawn from competition
- noun. informal terms for money
- noun. a depression scratched or carved into a surface
- noun. an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off
- verb. cause friction
"my sweater scratches"
- verb. cut the surface of; wear away the surface of
- verb. carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface
"engrave a pen"
"engraved the trophy cupt with the winner's"
- verb. gather (money or other resources) together over time
"She had scraped together enough money for college"
"they scratched a meager living"
- verb. remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line
"Please strike this remark from the record"
"scratch that remark"
- verb. scrape or rub as if to relieve itching
"Don't scratch your insect bites!"
- verb. postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled
"Call off the engagement"
"cancel the dinner party"
Synonyms
mark, scar, scrape, cacography, scrawl, scribble, scraping, scratching, start, boodle, bread, cabbage, clams, dinero, dough, gelt, kale, lettuce, lolly, loot, lucre, moolah, pelf, shekels
Common word forms
scratched, scratcher, scratches, scratching, scratchable, scratchless
Words from these letters
If you are holding these tiles, the unscrambler for SCRATCH lists every valid word you can make from the same letters, including shorter plays.