Word
scrape
US/ˈskɹeɪp/
UK/skɹˈeɪp/
Definition
v. to remove something from a surface by pulling a hard tool or your nails across it. You can also use it to mean hitting against a hard surface and getting a small injury.
v. to drag a sharp or hard tool across a surface to remove material; also, to graze or abrade the skin through contact with a rough surface.
Examples
“I had to scrape the ice off the windshield.”
“She used a knife to scrape the old paint from the wooden chair before refinishing it.”
“Although he tried to scrape together enough money to fix the boat, the cost of the repairs proved too high after several seasons of saltwater damage.”
Examples
simple
“I had to scrape the ice off the windshield.”
contextual
“She used a knife to scrape the old paint from the wooden chair before refinishing it.”
complex
“Although he tried to scrape together enough money to fix the boat, the cost of the repairs proved too high after several seasons of saltwater damage.”
Usage
Transitive — typically takes a direct object.
Etymology
From Middle English scrapen, from Old Norse skrapa (“to scrape, scratch”) and Old English scrapian (“to scrape, scratch”), both from Proto-Germanic skrapōną, skrepaną (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *skrebʰ- (“to engrave”). Cognate with Dutch schrapen (“to scrape”), schrappen (“to strike through; to cancel; to scrap”), schrabben (“to scratch”), German schrappen (“to scrape”), Danish skrabe (“to scrape”), Icelandic skrapa (“to scrape”), Walloon screper (“to scrape”), Latin scribō (“dig with a pen, draw, write”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
bow and scrape — To behave in a servile, obsequious, or excessively polite manner.
scrape along — to barely be able to survive
scrape someone off the ceiling — Used to describe the response to someone who is either experiencing great pain, who is very frightened, or is very elated.
scrape the bottom of the barrel — To settle for a poor option due to a lack or unavailability of anything more favorable.
scrape through — To marginally manage to progress.
scrape together — To collect, assemble or gather small amounts (especially of money), from various sources, with some difficulty
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/scrape