Word
itch
Phoneticsitch
US/ˈɪtʃ/
UK/ˈɪtʃ/
Definitions
01skin sensation
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Medicine
n. an uncomfortable feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch it.
n. an irritating cutaneous sensation that creates an urge to scratch the affected area.
“The wool sweater gave me a terrible itch on my neck.”
“The patient described a persistent itch on her forearm that intensified whenever she was exposed to direct sunlight.”
Synonyms
02strong desire
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal
n. a strong feeling that you want to do something or go somewhere.
n. a restless or persistent desire to perform a particular action or experience something new.
“After three years in the same job, he started to feel an itch to travel.”
“Despite her professional success in the city, she felt a constant itch to return to the quiet life of the countryside.”
03to want to do something
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
v. to want to do something very much and feel impatient to start.
v. to have a strong, restless urge to do something; frequently used in the progressive form followed by an infinitive.
“The players were itching to get back on the field after the rain stopped.”
“The investigative journalist was itching to publish the story, but her editor insisted on waiting for secondary confirmation of the sources.”
Usage
Commonly used with the verbs 'have' or 'get'; the figurative sense often takes an infinitive ('an itch to travel').
Pitfall
The mosquito bite is itching me.
The mosquito bite is itchy.
Learners often use the noun or verb form when they need the adjective 'itchy' to describe a state.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
The word in film
The Seven Year Itch · 1955 · Comedy
- Directed by:
- Billy Wilder
- Starring:
- Marilyn Monroe, Carolyn Jones, Evelyn Keyes
Billy Wilder's comedy stars Tom Ewell as a faithful husband whose imagination runs wild when an attractive model, played by Marilyn Monroe, moves into the apartment upstairs. The title established the popular phrase describing a psychological urge or restlessness that occurs seven years into a marriage.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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