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.
"This means that tech companies in China, when they're building a new AI model, don't have to start from scratch," says Olson.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 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
"If there's a failure or unavailability during this phase you have to go back, or even start from scratch," Carroll said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 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.
