scratch
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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"They came round for spot inspections, but if you didn't come up to scratch there wasn't a penalty, you just weren't in their association any more."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
"Our work is a prime example of how evolution seldom invents things from scratch," says Daniel Kronauer, head of the Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior at Rockefeller.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
The pushback against human involvement similarly dogged Koji Kinjo's 2009 opening of an "artificial sea" that he built from scratch in the village of Yomitan.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
It isn’t enough to win a title, but scratch hacker Curry could elevate James’s nascent golf game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
As I’m about to step out into the courtyard, Mima asks, “Did you scratch the oud? Didn’t I tell you to be careful with it?”
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
Duration measures how far a fund drops when rates rise, and a long-term Treasury fund can post deep losses on a move that barely scratches a short-term bond fund.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
This car was brought in following a relatively minor accident, and Harrowell points to a few scratches and scrapes on the protective casing of the battery underneath the car.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Clover’s long, tasseled ears collect leaves, grass, and assorted debris on walks, and she scratches them out semiregularly.
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2026
Some looked almost identical to the classic “toothpick grooves” of fossil humans, complete with fine parallel scratches and tapering shapes.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
Pa’s is a black-and-white linen stitch that he always scratches while waiting for us to finish our dinner.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Mice with the specialized neurons scratched normally in response to itch.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
When I finally did, age 30, I realized to my chagrin that in following his footsteps, I hadn’t scratched the surface of his intellectual journey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Zion’s logo was scratched off the wall, its guitars were seized and the site was sealed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
He’d somehow scratched “SOS” into the blackened earth, a photo released by the Coast Guard shows.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
She scratched her head, sending her blond wig askew, revealing the sparse gray spiderwebs underneath.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
However, animals lacking those neurons, or in which the neurons had been switched off, showed a dramatic reduction in scratching behavior.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
The letters have left many Californians scratching their heads as to what went wrong and scrambling to reschedule their tests to ensure they don’t lose the ability to drive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
He told AFP about one of the rescued, who he heard "scratching at a wall."
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
A mural depicting life in a Welsh village has left some people scratching their heads, as it features the Eastenders legend Dot Cotton.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
“That’s okay, Hank,” he says, scratching his scraggle beard.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
Vocabulary lists containing scratch
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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