Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

scratch

2 noun
     
NEW! See related topics: COLOURS AND SOUNDSILLNESS AND DISABILITY
scratch2
1

cut

[countable] a small cut on someone's skin:
There were deep scratches all over her face.
Don't worry, it's only a scratch (=not a serious injury).
She was unharmed apart from a few cuts and scratches.
2

mark

[countable]MI a thin mark or cut on the surface of something:
There was a big scratch on the car door.
3

from scratch

if you start something from scratch, you begin it without using anything that existed or was prepared before:
We had to start again from scratch.
He had built the business up from scratch.
4

up to scratch

British English informal good enough for a particular standard:
Some of this work isn't up to scratch.
bring/get something up to scratch
We spent thousands of pounds getting the house up to scratch.
5HBH

rub

[singular] especially British English when you rub part of your body with your nails because it feels uncomfortable:
He stretched and had a scratch.
He brushed his hair and gave his scalp a good scratch.
6

sound

[countable]C a sound made by something sharp or rough being rubbed on a hard surface:
I heard the scratch of a match lighting a cigarette.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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