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

The pushback against human involvement similarly dogged Koji Kinjo's 2009 opening of an "artificial sea" that he built from scratch in the village of Yomitan.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Tennis coach Jovy Barce knows how hard it is to start playing tennis from scratch, especially for the underprivileged.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Cursor recently ran an experiment to evaluate the cost of building a web browser from scratch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

They’re all served out of trucks built from scratch in an industrial building on Anaheim Street next to the Los Angeles River.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 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