scratch

S2 W2

BrE /ˈskrætʃ/ AmE /ˈskrætʃ/

verb / noun en → es

past scratched pp scratched ing scratching

1 TOUCH/SCRATCH [intransitive] A2

to rub your skin with your nails or a sharp object because it is itchy

rascarse, raspar

  • scratch yourself

Collocations scratch an itch · scratch your head

  • He scratched his nose.

    Se rascó la nariz.

2 MARK/SCRATCH [transitive] B1

to make a mark on something with your nails or a sharp object

raspar, rayar

  • scratch sth

Collocations scratch the surface of wood · scratch your name on a wall

  • She scratched her name in the sand.

    Ella escribió su nombre en la arena.

3 PAY/SCRATCH [transitive] B2

to pay for something using a credit card or similar payment method

pagar con tarjeta, pagar con un método de pago electrónico

  • scratch sth

Collocations scratch the bill · scratch a payment

  • He scratched his meal with his credit card.

    Él pagó su comida con la tarjeta de crédito.

1 INJURY/SCRATCH [singular noun] A2

a mark on your skin caused by scratching or rubbing it with something sharp

raspadura, rasguño

  • have a scratch

Collocations a small scratch · a deep scratch

  • He has a scratch on his arm.

    Tiene un rasguño en el brazo.

2 MARK/SCRATCH [singular noun] B1

a mark made by scratching or rubbing something with your nails or a sharp object

raspadura, rayón

  • have a scratch

Collocations a small scratch on the wall · a deep scratch in the wood

  • There is a scratch on the table.

    Hay un rayón en la mesa.

3 PAY/SCRATCH [singular noun] B2

a payment made using a credit card or similar method

pago con tarjeta, pago electrónico

  • make a scratch

Collocations a small scratch for the meal · a large scratch for the purchase

  • He made a scratch for his coffee.

    Él hizo un pago electrónico para su café.

Phrasal verbs

scratch off REMOVE/SCRATCH B1

borrar, rayar

  • She scratched the name off the list.

    Ella borró el nombre de la lista.

scratch out REMOVE/SCRATCH B1

borrar, rayar

  • He scratched out the wrong word.

    Él borró la palabra incorrecta.

scratch up DAMAGE/SCRATCH B1

rayar, dañar

  • The car was scratched up in the accident.

    El coche se rayó en el accidente.

scratch together COLLECT/SCRATCH B2

reunir, juntar

  • He managed to scratch together enough money for the trip.

    Logró reunir suficiente dinero para el viaje.

scratch around SEARCH/SCRATCH B2

buscar, buscar desesperadamente

  • She had to scratch around for information.

    Tuvó que buscar desesperadamente información.

Idioms

scratch the surface B2

tocar la superficie, no llegar al fondo del asunto

  • We've only scratched the surface of this problem.

    Solo hemos tocado la superficie de este problema.

scratch your head B2

ponerse a pensar, no entender algo

  • I don't know what to do - I'm scratching my head.

    No sé qué hacer - me estoy poniendo a pensar.

scratch someone's back (to get yours scratched) C1

hacer un favor a alguien para que te haga uno

  • He helped me with my project, and I'll scratch his back when he needs help.

    Me ayudó con mi proyecto y yo le haré un favor cuando él lo necesite.