start from scratch
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He says Zhang was "the one with the connections" in China, and the cartels had to "start from scratch and build a new route".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Thankfully, you don’t have to start from scratch.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
He was going to rip up the Wolverines’ roster and start from scratch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
If no action is taken by May 13, the legislation will expire and the process will have to start from scratch, she added.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
When Descartes produced his study of the rainbow he had to start from scratch, despite the fact that he was very largely simply repeating the work both of Theodoric and of al-Farisi.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
