scrap
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a small piece or fragment of something, especially paper or cloth.
n.a small, detached, or incomplete portion of a material, typically paper, fabric, or information.
Simple“She wrote her phone number on a scrap of paper she found in her bag.”
In context“The detective managed to reconstruct the letter from a few charred scraps recovered from the fireplace.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.small amounts of food that are left over after a meal.
n.discarded or leftover portions of food, often used as animal feed or thrown away.
Simple“We gave the scraps from our dinner to the dog.”
In context“The restaurant implemented a new composting system to handle the significant volume of food scraps generated during the lunch rush.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.old metal or other objects that can be recycled or used for parts.
n.discarded metal or other materials suitable for reprocessing or dismantling.
Simple“He sold his old, broken car for scrap.”
In context“The industrial site was cleared of rusted machinery and sold to a scrap dealer for a modest profit.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a short, often unplanned fight or argument.
n.a brief, relatively minor physical fight or skirmish.
Simple“The two boys got into a scrap on the playground over a toy.”
In context“What started as a verbal disagreement quickly escalated into a minor scrap outside the pub.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to decide not to continue with a plan or to throw something away.
v.to abandon or discard a project, plan, or object as being no longer useful or viable.
Simple“The company decided to scrap the project because it was too expensive.”
In context“The government was forced to scrap the controversial housing policy after facing intense pressure from local councils.”
- 06 C1 Advanced
v.to have a small, physical fight.
v.to engage in a minor physical altercation or scuffle.
Simple“The players were sent off after they started scrapping on the field.”
In context“The rival fans began scrapping in the parking lot before the police arrived to disperse the crowd.”
“I turn the jar under the light, scraps of folded paper trapped in glass.”
“Dressed in a simple tank top, bare-faced with her hair scraped back, Smith is waiting for me when I arrive.”
From Middle English scrappe, from Old Norse skrap, from skrapa (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Germanic skrapōną, skrepaną (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European skreb-, skrep- (“to engrave”). Cf. Swedish skräp (“garbage”).
Perhaps from the obsolete colloquial meaning "sinister plot, scheme, villainy", or a dialectal variant of scrape.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.