itch

[ ich ]
See synonyms for itch on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. to have or feel a peculiar tingling or uneasy irritation of the skin that causes a desire to scratch the part affected: My nose itches.

  2. to cause such a feeling: This shirt itches.

  1. Informal. to scratch a part that itches.

  2. to have a desire to do or get something: to itch after fame.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cause to have an itch: His wool shirt always itches him.

  2. Informal. to scratch (a part that itches): to itch a mosquito bite.

  1. to annoy; vex; irritate: Her remarks itched me.

noun
  1. the sensation of itching.

  2. an uneasy or restless desire or longing: an itch for excitement.

  1. Usually the itch . a contagious disease caused by the itch mite, which burrows into the skin.: Compare mange, scabies.

Origin of itch

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb (y)icchen, Old English gicc(e)an; akin to German jucken, Dutch jeuken; noun derivative of the verb

Other words from itch

  • anti-itch, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use itch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for itch

itch

/ (ɪtʃ) /


noun
  1. an irritation or tickling sensation of the skin causing a desire to scratch

  2. a restless desire

  1. any skin disorder, such as scabies, characterized by intense itching

verb
  1. (intr) to feel or produce an irritating or tickling sensation

  2. (intr) to have a restless desire (to do something)

  1. not standard to scratch (the skin)

  2. itching palm a grasping nature; avarice

  3. have itchy feet to be restless; have a desire to travel

Origin of itch

1
Old English gīccean to itch, of Germanic origin

Derived forms of itch

  • itchy, adjective
  • itchiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012