1. Cut the surface of; wear away the surface of
   "The cat scratched up the furniture";
   - scrape, scratch up
    
2. Cause friction
   "my sweater scratches";
   - rub, fray, fret, chafe
    
3. Scrape with the fingers as if to relieve itching
   "Don't scratch your insect bites!";
   - rub
    
4. Carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface
   "the lovers scratched their names into the bark of the tree";
   - engrave, grave [archaic], inscribe
    
5. Remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line
   "scratch that remark";
   - strike, expunge, excise
    
6. Postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled
   "scratch that meeting — the chair is ill";
   - cancel, call off, scrub [informal], scrap
    
7. Gather (money or other resources) together over time
   "they scratched a meagre living";
   - scrape, scrape up, come up

1. An abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off
   "He got a scratch from the cat";
   - abrasion, scrape, excoriation
    
2. A depression scratched or carved into a surface
   "The cat left a deep scratch on the furniture";
   - incision, prick, slit
    
3. A harsh noise made by scraping
   "The scratch of chairs on the wooden floor echoed through the room";
   - scrape, scraping, scratching
    
4. A line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game
   "The runners took their positions at the scratch";
   - start, starting line, scratch line
    
5. A competitor who has withdrawn from competition
   "Due to injury, the favoured athlete became a scratch just before the race"
    
6. Poor handwriting
   "The doctor's scratch made the prescription difficult to read";
   - scribble, scrawl, cacography
    
7. [informal] The most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
   "we tried to collect the scratch he owed us";
   - money, coin [US, informal], boodle [informal], bread [informal], cabbage [US, informal], clams [US, informal], dinero [N. Amer, informal], dough [informal], gelt [informal], kale [US, informal], lettuce [US, informal], lolly [Brit, informal], lucre [informal], loot [informal], moolah [N. Amer, informal], pelf [archaic, informal], shekels [informal], simoleons [US, informal], sugar [informal], wampum [N. Amer, informal], wonga [Brit, informal], moola [N. Amer, informal], brass [Brit, informal], dibs [archaic, informal], spondulix [Brit, informal], spondulicks [Brit, informal], mazuma [US, informal], dosh [Brit, informal]
    
8. (golf) a handicap of zero strokes
   "a golfer who plays at scratch should be able to achieve par on a course"
    
9. An indication of damage
   "The scratch on the car's paint was barely visible";
   - scrape, scar, mark
    
10. Dry mash for poultry
    "The farmer scattered scratch in the coop each morning";
    - chicken feed

1. Put together quickly from whatever is available
   "They formed a scratch team for the charity match"
    
2. (computing) for testing or temporary use
   "store the values in a scratch file"

Derived forms: scratching, scratched, scratches

Type of: accumulate, adjoin, amass, blemish, cancel, carve, challenger, chip at, collect, competitor, compile, contact, contender, defect, defer, delete, depression, hand, handicap, handwriting, hoard, hold over, impression, imprint, incise, irritate, lesion, line, mar, mash, medium of exchange, meet, monetary system, noise, pile up, postpone, prorogue, put back, put off, put over, remit, rival, roll up, script, set back, shelve, table [N. Amer], touch, wound, writing

Part of: money supply

Encyclopedia: Scratch, Nicholas