scrape
verb (used with object)
to deprive of or free from an outer layer, adhering matter, etc., or to smooth by drawing or rubbing something, especially a sharp or rough instrument, over the surface.
have been scraping
-
present perfect progressiveof scrape.present perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that began in the past, has continued continuously, and is still in progress.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I mean, people have been scraping the whole web since the first search engine.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
He’s also complained bitterly that A.I. firms have been scraping Twitter, slowing its servers.
From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2023
Bulldozers for days have been scraping fire lines on the outskirts of Las Vegas, population 13,000, while crews have been conducting burns to clear adjacent vegetation.
From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2022
From early hypertext experiments to newer forms such as Flarf and Alt Lit, writers have been scraping digital language and cobbling together challenging works of digitally sourced literature for the better part of four decades.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 13, 2014
"And you mean to tell me that you poor dears have been scraping along on next to nothing, while selfish Mother has been spending the remnant of the fortune at Hilltop?"
From The Happy Venture by Edith Ballinger Price
