itch
Americanverb (used without object)
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itches,
present (3rd person singular)
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itched,
past participle, past
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itching
present participle
-
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.
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to cause such a feeling.
This shirt itches.
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Informal. to scratch a part that itches.
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to have a desire to do or get something.
to itch after fame.
verb (used with object)
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itches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
itched,
past participle, past
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itching
present participle
noun
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itches
plural
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the sensation of itching.
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an uneasy or restless desire or longing.
an itch for excitement.
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Usually the itch a contagious disease caused by the itch mite, which burrows into the skin.
noun
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an irritation or tickling sensation of the skin causing a desire to scratch
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a restless desire
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any skin disorder, such as scabies, characterized by intense itching
verb
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(intr) to feel or produce an irritating or tickling sensation
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(intr) to have a restless desire (to do something)
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not_standard to scratch (the skin)
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a grasping nature; avarice
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to be restless; have a desire to travel
Usage
What’s the difference between itch and scratch? An itch is a feeling of irritation on the skin, often one that makes you want to scratch it (scrape it or rub it). The word itch can also be used as a verb meaning to have this sensation (as in My leg itches) or to cause to itch (as in The tag on my shirt keeps itching me). Itch also has some more figurative meanings as both a noun and a verb. The reason you looked this up, though, is because itch is sometimes informally used to mean the same thing as scratch, as in Try not to itch your mosquito bites—it will only make them itchier! Language purists are often itching to clarify that you scratch an itch, but this verb use of itch is quite common. As a noun, the word scratch means something different—a cut or scrape, typically a minor one caused by something having scratched the skin, as in I got a few scratches from the thornbush. Here’s an example of itch and scratch used correctly in the same sentence. Example: I know your rash itches, but don’t scratch your itch so hard—you’ll leave a scratch on your arm!Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between itch and scratch.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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itchsimple
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itchessimple
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have itchedperfect
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has itchedperfect
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am itchingprogressive
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are itchingprogressive
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is itchingprogressive
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have been itchingperfect progressive
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has been itchingperfect progressive
Past
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itchedsimple
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had itchedperfect
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was itchingprogressive
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were itchingprogressive
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had been itchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of itch
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
Explanation
An itch is an unpleasant tingly sensation that makes you want to scratch. If you're allergic to poison ivy and you go hiking through a field of it, you'll have a terrible itch all over your legs. Sometimes people confuse itch and scratch. An itch is the sensation that causes you to scratch, and when itch is a verb, it either means "to feel or sense an itch," or "to have a strong, restless urge," as when you itch to try out your uncle's motorcycle. Somehow, the word itch arose from its Old English root gicce, or gycce, "an itch."
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.
See Examples For:
Harry Kane says "the itch isn't there as much anymore" to one day return to England from Germany and try and break the all-time scoring record in the Premier League.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Though he closely follows the Grand Slams, checks weekly tournament results and runs his academy, he no longer feels the itch to compete.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
It’s that saliva that triggers an immune response in humans—and makes us itch long after the mosquito has gone.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
It's so stupid and basic, and yet it scratches a tried-and-tested musical itch with such precision that you have to admire its audacity.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
I started to get that buzzy itch in the back of my head like when I first started the lawn business.
From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen
His first film in 12 years itches to confront today’s moral limits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
ETFs scratch other itches too, including tax avoidance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Models ruminated about their next plate of pasta, distracted themselves from inopportune itches, and wondered over the sense of fashion amid wars.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024
Sometimes, itches can tell us something important: Brian S. Kim, a professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai, likens it to a barometer, as it tells people that they’re not well in a very subtle way.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2023
My nose itches, but I can’t scratch it with my hands bound.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
He had 28-day-old sutures he contemplated removing himself because they itched so badly.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2025
As Black L.A. began to build political power, Mexican American leaders itched to get one of their own back into City Hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
When University of Copenhagen evolutionary ecologist Kasun Bodawatta handled feathers from the Regent Whistler and the Rufous-naped Bellbird, his eyes teared up and itched like he was chopping onions.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 1, 2023
Uncanny Keith had massive, muscular shoulders which prevented it from reaching the back of its own head, where the hair itched and chafed along its annoyingly upright spine.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2022
We first tried eating the pokeweed raw, but it was awfully bitter, so we boiled it—singing “Poke Salad Annie” in anticipation—but it still tasted sour and stringy, and our tongues itched for days afterward.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
“I’m kind of itching to get back going,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
The findings, made in mouse models, reveal a dedicated sensory system that may eventually help scientists develop better treatments for chronic itching disorders.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
With the jab, you may get little bit of skin redness, itching or mild swelling where you inject.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
I wish this weren’t the case, but my favorite thing in the world is working the legislative process to deliver for a community, and I am itching to get back to doing that work.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
“An island called Spirit Island where everyone but you died of the itching sickness—you were the toughest one, the littlest one, and you survived them all.”
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
