scrape
Americanverb (used with object)
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scrapes,
present (3rd person singular)
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scraped,
past participle, past
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scraping
present participle
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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.
to scrape a table to remove paint and varnish.
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to remove (an outer layer, adhering matter, etc.) in this way.
to scrape the paint and varnish from a table.
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to scratch, injure, or mar the surface of in this way.
to scrape one's arm on a rough wall.
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to produce by scraping.
He scraped his initials on the rock.
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to collect or do by or as if by scraping; do or gather laboriously or with difficulty (usually followed by up ortogether ).
They managed to scrape together a football team.
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to rub harshly on or across (something).
Don't scrape the floor with your boots!
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to draw or rub (a thing) roughly across something.
Scrape your shoes on the doormat before you come in.
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to level (an unpaved road) with a grader.
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Digital Technology. to extract (data) from a digital source for automated replication, formatting, or manipulation by a computer program, as in data mining or website data analysis.
This project scrapes comments on online forums for linguistic research.
We can scrape older data from obsolete systems with a very simple interface.
verb (used without object)
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scrapes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
scraped,
past participle, past
-
scraping
present participle
-
to scrape something.
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to rub against something gratingly.
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to produce a grating and unmusical tone from a string instrument.
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to draw one's foot back noisily along the ground in making a bow.
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to manage or get by with difficulty or with only the barest margin.
I barely scraped through on the test.
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to economize or save by attention to even the slightest amounts.
By careful scraping they managed to survive.
noun
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scrapes
plural
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an act or instance of scraping.
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a drawing back of the foot noisily along the ground in making a bow.
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a harsh, shrill, or scratching sound made by scraping.
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a scraped place.
a scrape on one's elbow.
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an embarrassing or distressing situation; predicament.
He is always in some kind of a scrape.
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a difference of opinion, fight, or quarrel; scrap.
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Digital Technology.
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the process of extracting data from a digital source for automated replication, formatting, or manipulation by a computer program, as in data mining or website data analysis.
How long will the scrape take to complete?
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the product of this process.
The scrape maliciously copied private content to manipulate search engine rankings.
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verb
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to move (a rough or sharp object) across (a surface), esp to smooth or clean
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(tr; often foll by away or off) to remove (a layer) by rubbing
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to produce a harsh or grating sound by rubbing against (an instrument, surface, etc)
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(tr) to injure or damage by rough contact
to scrape one's knee
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(intr) to be very economical or sparing in the use (of) (esp in the phrase scrimp and scrape )
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(intr) to draw the foot backwards in making a bow
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(tr) to finish (a surface) by use of a scraper
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(tr) to make (a bearing, etc) fit by scraping
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to behave with excessive humility
noun
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the act of scraping
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a scraped place
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a harsh or grating sound
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informal an awkward or embarrassing predicament
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informal a conflict or struggle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scrapesimple
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scrapessimple
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have scrapedperfect
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has scrapedperfect
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am scrapingprogressive
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are scrapingprogressive
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is scrapingprogressive
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have been scrapingperfect progressive
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has been scrapingperfect progressive
Past
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scrapedsimple
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had scrapedperfect
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was scrapingprogressive
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were scrapingprogressive
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had been scrapingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scrape
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb scrapen, from Old Norse skrapa (replacing Middle English shrapen Old English scrapian “to scratch”); cognate with Old Norse skrapa; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
To scrape something is to scratch or remove its surface. If you scrape your knee, you'll probably need a Band Aid. You can scrape the toe of your favorite boots, or scrape your arm on a branch. This might cause a scrape on your skin or your shoe, a mark that shows. There is also a kind of scrape you can hear, like the scrape of a chair on a floor, and the kind of scrape, or awkward situation, you suddenly find yourself in. People also scrape things together, or gather up as much as they can find.
Vocabulary lists containing scrape
"American Names"
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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:
Dyslexic, Harry dropped out of school in the ninth grade, joined the Navy, and served two weeks’ military imprisonment before returning to New York City to work odd jobs and scrape by.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
With the scrape Debbie and Judith find themselves in, a beach holiday is out of the question.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
And even if he manages to scrape by in committee, Blanche can afford to lose only three Republican votes in the Senate.
From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2026
Would a win over Haiti followed by two defeats be acclaimed as a riotous success if it's enough to scrape into the knockouts as one of the best third-placed teams?
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
I hear a car scrape the curb and I jump up to check.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
"As a stand-alone piece of theatre, The Mad King scrapes through," he wrote.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
That has complemented a social-media listening tool that scrapes the internet for yet more trends, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
Instead of using soap or chemicals, it physically scrapes away dirt and marks from surfaces.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 2026
Simmons praised DoorDash for offering her the “flexibility” that allows her to take care of her sick husband and family as she scrapes for “every extra dollar.”
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026
Enough scrapes were finished by soon after sunset and next day, sure enough, all the rabbits felt a great deal better for a night underground.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Kimberella moved with the help of a muscular foot and scraped food from the seafloor.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
In 2023, $1.8trn was given to mitigation, whilst adaptation did not secure even 5% of that – it scraped $65bn globally.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
A bad year in your 30s was a scraped knee.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
Flod scraped together tomato cages, chicken wire, paper, glue and pink house paint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Only three days later they met their first ice, large chunks called growlers that scraped and rumbled past the sides of the ship.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Kim Sun-hee, 70, described them as "like scraping cement, or even ghost-like noises. It was really frightening".
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Mecham hopes to catch those who are tired of scraping by and want some security.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Process for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until smooth, airy and thick enough to hold its shape.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
And this time, salvaging draws and scraping a point isn’t an option.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
I slice the rest of the bread with a scraping of butter for the children and call the women to the kitchen.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
