scab
Americannoun
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scabs
plural
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the incrustation that forms over a sore or wound during healing.
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Veterinary Pathology. a mangy disease in animals, especially sheep; scabies.
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Plant Pathology.
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a disease of plants characterized by crustlike lesions on the affected parts and caused by a fungus or bacterium.
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one of these crustlike lesions.
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a worker who refuses to join a labor union or to participate in a union strike, who takes a striking worker's place on the job, or the like.
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Slang. a rascal or scoundrel.
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Metallurgy.
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a projection or roughness on an ingot or casting from a defective mold.
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a surface defect on an iron or steel piece resulting from the rolling in of scale.
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Carpentry. a short, flat piece of wood used for various purposes, as binding two timbers butted together or strengthening a timber at a weak spot.
verb (used without object)
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scabs,
present (3rd person singular)
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scabbed,
past participle, past
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scabbing
present participle
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to become covered with a scab.
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to act or work as a scab.
noun
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the dried crusty surface of a healing skin wound or sore
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a contagious disease of sheep, a form of mange, caused by a mite ( Psoroptes communis )
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a fungal disease of plants characterized by crusty spots on the fruits, leaves, etc
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derogatory
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Also called: blackleg. a person who refuses to support a trade union's actions, esp one who replaces a worker who is on strike
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( as modifier )
scab labour
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a despicable person
verb
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to become covered with a scab
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(of a road surface) to become loose so that potholes develop
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to replace a striking worker
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scabsimple
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scabssimple
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have scabbedperfect
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has scabbedperfect
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am scabbingprogressive
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are scabbingprogressive
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is scabbingprogressive
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have been scabbingperfect progressive
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has been scabbingperfect progressive
Past
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scabbedsimple
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had scabbedperfect
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was scabbingprogressive
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were scabbingprogressive
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had been scabbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scab
1200–50; 1800–10 scab for def. 4; Middle English < Old Norse skabb scab, itch; cf. shabby, shave
Explanation
Kids who fall and skin their knees know what a scab is: it's the crusty patch of skin that forms when a scrape or cut is healing. A wound will form a scab as it heals, whether it's a cut or a burn. Skin has an amazing ability to repair itself, and a scab is evidence of this. Scab is also a slang term for someone who crosses a picket line during a strike, choosing to work instead of joining coworkers in protesting low wages or harsh treatment by an employer. This kind of scab first meant "unpleasant person" in the late 1500s.
Vocabulary lists containing scab
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Kindred
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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:
“I can tell you that it’s a wound that will scab over in time, but will tear open from time to time.”
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
“Unhelpful ... Ripping open a healing scab is never helpful,” John Morgan, a Florida trial attorney who was a major fundraiser for Biden’s 2024 campaign, told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
“These people believe that you take the scab off of a wound and take it off again and again until something miraculous happens,” Boritt grumbles to the camera.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
Apples are also among the most heavily treated fruits, with pesticides used in particular to fight apple scab, the main fungal threat to orchards.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Tasha picks at a scab on her arm.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
An AFP photograph showed a red area with several brownish scabs protruding above his shirt collar on the right side of the neck of the 79-year-old president, the oldest ever elected.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
Some companies called on state militia and federal troops to put down uprisings and hired private security forces to protect so-called scabs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
On this, his third album, he picks at the scabs of northern working-class life, and rails against a system that leaves families mired in bureaucratic neglect.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
Verdugo Hills is ready with scabs to take on Birmingham in City flag football playoff game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2024
I sat on the sofa, stuck my legs out in front of me, and studied the scabs on my shins, the brown scars of countless wounds and scrapes.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Whereas Li’s and Barker’s wounds are fresh, Longwell’s have largely scabbed over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Another described her underarm skin as developing a pink rash which had "scabbed over".
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2025
The wounds that Vogel prods have largely scabbed over, and the concluding mood is one of compassion and release.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
His hand is still bruised and scabbed, and it must heal fully before he can resume swinging a bat.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 22, 2023
He tries, but his hands are stiff with scabbed skin, and he’s still shaking.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
The rash goes through several stages which include flat spots, raised spots, blisters and then scabbing.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
A few days after the fever begins, patients develop distinctive pustule-like lesions that usually start on the face and spread across the body before scabbing over and falling away.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2022
In the photos taken by investigators soon after Suzanne’s disappearance on Mother’s Day that year, there are three abrasions or cuts scabbing over, Rohrich said, Fox 21 reported.
From Fox News ● Aug. 23, 2021
I think the mechanisms behind this scabbing over of old concerns might explain some of the behavior we’re seeing in this pandemic.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2020
“I’m all done. It will hurt a little tomorrow and may bleed a bit during the scabbing stage, but you should be fine.”
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
