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.
It's better Clarke handles this rather than throwing in a newbie to start from scratch.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
He was going to rip up the Wolverines’ roster and start from scratch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
After his boyfriend dies tragically, Rowan is forced to start from scratch, mourning the dream of the life he once had alongside his partner and trying to rent out his now-spare bedroom.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
While the Bruins will bring back some young talent in Lena Bilic and Sienna Betts and add injured senior Timea Gardiner, they will essentially have to start from scratch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
“It’s just that”—she’s grasping for the right words—“when I had my bat mitzvah, I’d been in Hebrew school since I was seven. You can’t just start from scratch now and be ready by December.”
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
