from scratch

Idioms  

1. From the very beginning, from the outset; from nothing. For example, I knew we'd have a problem from scratch. Similarly, to start from scratch means “to start from the very beginning,” as in After the business failed, they decided to reorganize and start from scratch. This term comes from racing, where a competitor starts from the line scratched into the ground (whereas others may start ahead with a handicap). [Mid-1800s] Also see from the ground up; from the word go.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

from scratch

Then, she’ll start from scratch, asking what a patient is feeling and making clinical decisions from there.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

“It turns out building a model from scratch in nine months, it takes a lot of painstaking effort.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

"We now have to go back and think about the magnetic interactions of this material from scratch, but it also leads to new possibilities in using this material for new kinds of memory devices."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

From quick reels on how to fix cracks in walls, to complicated YouTube tutorials on building alcove seating from scratch, the internet is chock-a-block with seemingly endless home improvement demos.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Today Ms. Jenna had just finished showing us how to make fresh hummus from scratch using olive oil and garlic and cans of chickpeas.

From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore

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