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

How would you describe the dynamic in the early days between you and Punk magazine co-founder John Holmstrom when it came to creating this historic magazine from scratch?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

She began cooking everything from scratch after realizing that eating highly processed foods was contributing to her eczema flare-ups.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

"No one else had built this on the continent... We had to start from scratch," she said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Sundararajan says the government should pre-identify and pre-approve multiple cable landing sites on both coasts and in island territories with standard conditions so cable companies do not have to start the approval process from scratch.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

You do not come by words like this easily; they cannot just be made up from scratch.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas