# scab

/ˈskæb/ (US) · /skˈæb/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/scab
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. healing skin

noun · CEFR B2

a hard, dry layer of blood that forms over a cut or wound while it is healing.

For teachers: a protective crust of dried blood and serum that forms over a wound or pustule during the healing process.

- Try not to pick at the scab on your knee or it might leave a scar.
- The physician noted that a healthy scab had formed over the incision, indicating that the primary stage of tissue repair was underway.

### 2. strikebreaker

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang

a person who continues to work when their coworkers are on strike, or who takes the job of a striker.

For teachers: a derogatory term for a worker who refuses to join a strike or who takes the place of a striking employee.

- The protesters shouted at the workers who crossed the line, calling them scabs.
- Tensions escalated at the factory gates as union members confronted the replacement workers, whom they branded as scabs for undermining the collective bargaining effort.

### 3. plant disease

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a disease that causes rough, dark spots on the skin of fruits or vegetables like potatoes and apples.

For teachers: any of several fungal or bacterial diseases of plants characterized by crust-like lesions on the surface of fruit or tubers.

- The farmer had to throw away half the potato crop because of a bad case of scab.
- Agricultural scientists are developing new varieties of apple that are genetically resistant to the common scab fungus.

### 5. to beg for something

verb · CEFR C2 · British English · Informal · Slang · Dialect

to ask someone to give you something for free, like a cigarette or some money.

For teachers: to obtain something by begging or cadging from others.

- He managed to scab a few dollars off his brother to buy a coffee.
- In the local pub, he was notorious for trying to scab drinks from unsuspecting tourists.

## Examples

- The workers refused to let a scab enter the factory.
- During the long railway strike, several scabs were hired to keep the freight trains moving on schedule.
- The union's primary goal was to prevent the hiring of scabs, as their presence was seen as a direct threat to the collective bargaining power of the striking members.

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