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as in cash
slang
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment
she treated her buddies to a drink whenever she had the scratch for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of scratch
Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Closer inspection of the specimens revealed numerous chips and scratches.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026
Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
After being scratched from the lineup because of tightness in his left quad, Harris delivered as a pinch-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scratch
Noun
Senate Bill 117 would have barred the Colorado Lottery from developing an internet lottery scratch-off game, but that provision was removed.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Closer inspection of the specimens revealed numerous chips and scratches.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Health officials recommend that pet owners ensure their animals are up to date on vaccinations and seek veterinary assistance immediately if they're bitten or scratched by a wild animal.
—Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
After being scratched from the lineup because of tightness in his left quad, Harris delivered as a pinch-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scratch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scratch
Noun
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Using a rubber spatula, scrape cottage cheese mixture into bowl with reserved onion mixture.—
Hana Asbrink,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
21 Apr. 2026
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Spain and Deering’s plan would require the state to forgo $250 million out of transit funding, which is getting a boost due to a sales tax increase and an interest scrape from the road fund.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Sun Pharma plans to fund the acquisition through a mix of internal cash and financing from banks.—
Baiju Kalesh,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
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The irregular flow of cash will distort their financial reports and could deepen mistrust that the county has adequate guardrails to properly account for where taxpayers’ money is ending up.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Until sound effects, tones, and grating atmospheres rub right up against the dialogue.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
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An employee washed hands for less than 10 seconds at the sushi bar, and the inspector wants to see 10-15 seconds of your hands rubbing each other.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Melville, reading Emerson’s two essay collections in the 1860s, scribbled a mix of agreement and strong disagreement in their margins.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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Oz prepared to turn over a piece of paper with a name scribbled on it with a Sharpie.—
Weijia Jiang,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mr Cobra opens like a dark, cobwebbed staircase leading into a vast and foreboding space, all frantic flute and piano, creaks, and bone-chilling screeches (not to mention a slutty monologue seemingly communicated via Google Translate).—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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Your baby was waking at every creak of the floorboard, every passing car, every branch scraping the window.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Trump has vowed to spend his own money to pay for the ballroom, but the project has drawn criticism for its massive size.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Opponents of Johnson’s added into the budget an expectation that the city would earn $6 million from the technology, though Johnson’s administration argued the city could not responsibly count on the money.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The dramedy, which doesn’t have an English-language title yet, is written and directed by Szifron, whose 2014 film Wild Tales was Argentina’s contender and nominee for what was then known as the Oscar’s best foreign-language film section.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
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Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.—
Miami Herald Staff Reports,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Both metals are accessible through physical bars and coins, ETFs, mining stocks or futures contracts.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
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Oliver needed to liquidate $200,000 from his stock and bond portfolio, convert it to cash and use it to buy gold coins.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scratch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scratch. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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