scrape

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments  · 
"I don't know what you call a scrape," said Harry.

View all »
Definitions (54)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (16)

  1. transitive verb To remove (an outer layer, for example) from a surface by forceful strokes of an edged or rough instrument: scraped the wallpaper off before painting the wall.
  2. transitive verb To abrade or smooth by rubbing with a sharp or rough instrument.
  3. transitive verb To rub (a surface) with considerable pressure, as with an edged instrument or a hard object.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (25)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (10)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • He saw that he was in a serious scrape, and Bob, though a boy, was game all through Are you willing for Mr. Manson to settle the matter?" —  Halsey ; Co. or, The Young Bankers and Speculators
  • He was satisfied that Hocker would help him if he could be made to see the matter in its proper light, so he drew him aside and told all he knew about Bug in a simple, earnest way--dwelling especially on the fact that Bug's desire to keep the boys out of a scrape was the sole cause of his own misfortune The appeal carried conviction with it, and Hocker's sympathies were aroused I reckon I can fix this matter," he said after a little consideration. —  Canoe Boys and Campfires Adventures on Winding Waters
  • I got into more than one scrape, myself, when I was a young fellow, from the conduct of messmates who had got too much liquor in them; but it did them no good, and did me harm So, take my advice: fight your own battles, but never interfere to fight other people's, unless you are absolutely convinced that they are in the right. —  Held Fast For England A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar (1779-83)
  • What's easy of digestion will do; but what's bad for little boys' stomachs may get you into a scrape, and then it will end in a blow-up; that is, you'll have a taste of the ferrule or the rod--two assistants of mine, to whom I've not yet had the pleasure of introducing you--all in good time. —  Percival Keene
  • You have got yourself into a scrape, and although the captain is evidently your friend, he cannot overlook it: fortunately, it is with the master, which is of less consequence than with the other officers; but still, you will have to submit, for the captain cannot overlook it I'll tell you what, Jolliffe," replied Jack, "my eyes now begin to be opened to a great many things. —  Mr. Midshipman Easy
 

Tags

scrape hasn't been tagged yet.

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 218 times.

On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Add a related word »
Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

clatter ·  thud ·  creak ·  scratch ·  squeal ·  bump ·  click ·  clank ·  rasp ·  bruise ·  hiss ·  rumble

Used in the same contextWord Family

scrape:   scrapes ·  scraped ·  scraping
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English scrapen, from Old Norse skrapa; see sker-1 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English scrapien, scrapen, also assibilated shrapen, shrapien, shreapien, from Icelandic Norwegian Sw.skrapa =Danish skrabe = Dutch schrapen, scrape; Anglo-Saxon scearpian, scarify: a secondary form of a strong verb. Anglo-Saxon screpan, screopan (preterit scræp, past participle screpen), scrape, also in comp. āscrepan, scrape off (screope, a scraper); connected with Anglo-Saxon scearp, etc., sharp: see sharp. Cf. scrap, scrapple, scrub, scrabble, scramble.
  2. from scrape, v. In def. 3 a particular use (‘a tight place,’ ‘a squeeze’); but it may have arisen from the dial. scrape, a snare: see scrape, scrap.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »

/skreɪp/
by American Heritage
Hear a sound »

Charts

frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word about twice a week.

Recently looked up

insurrection · unaware · Ith · Seiten · Zeitgeist

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

these grunts every eight hours · haul it off to our darkest dungeon · send for a doctor · forget what witticism you were originally going to insert here because you've just banged your knee on your desk · the rest will come naturally