How to Use scratch out in a Sentence

scratch out

verb
  • The Guardians scratched out just three hits off Kolek.
    — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Christian scratched out a run in the top of the seventh.
    — John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • The days of scratching out a living have long been over.
    — CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
  • The Rockets scratched out a run in the top of the seventh to tie it.
    — Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Learn the best ways to get scratches out of laminate floors.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 23 Feb. 2026
  • More often than not, his Irish figured out a way to scratch out the wins.
    — Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
  • The only way to fix etching is by buffing the scratches out.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Names were added or scratched out on the back of certificates to show ownership.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • The Nationals grabbed an early lead, scratching out a run in the third.
    — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2026
  • More often than not, his Fighting Irish figured out a way to scratch out the wins.
    — Eric Olson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Boos drown out the final whistle as Jamaica scratches out a 1-0 win.
    — Franklin Leonard, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026
  • The Raptors played their butts off in this series, scratching out a pair of 50-50 games.
    — Eric Koreen, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • But the Blue Jays scratched out the winning run against Ben Casparius in the eighth.
    — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
  • That means the Cubs will need strong pitching to go with their foolproof defense and some speed on offense to scratch out runs on cold-weather days.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Texas Republicans scratched out five more GOP seats at the expense of all of us.
    — Dallas Morning News, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
  • Mohamed points out where the Christians who took over the temple in the fifth century scratched out the faces of Egyptian deities.
    — Rebecca Misner, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2022
  • As her father was drunk too often to raise her himself, she was brought up by an aunt and uncle who barely scratched out a living as subsistence farmers.
    — Elaine Blair, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Juan used to be confined to a different room in the facility that had a frosted window with a small patch scratched out at the bottom, just big enough for his eye to peek through.
    — Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
  • As thousands walked past on Monday, the images of 10 of the victims and their family members were covered by black paint, their names scratched out.
    — Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Jan. 2026
  • But the junior gave up just one hit after that in throwing a complete-game three-hitter as Granite Hills scratched out a 6-2 win to keep its hopes for a fifth straight league title alive.
    — John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
  • That’s because any time Booth is, say, smoking a cigarette, it is crudely scratched out onscreen — doubtless at once a nod to TV standards and a thumb to the nose at censors.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Atlanta trailed 6-1 after six but scratched out a run in the seventh and tied it in the eighth after Zach Agnos and Jaden Hill walked the bases loaded with one out.
    — ABC News, 1 May 2026
  • His teams have entered October with a losing record six times in that stretch, and now the Broncos have scratched out level records each of the past two seasons, going 2-2 last year and this fall.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The best products to use for removing scratches out of stainless steel safely is Bar Keepers Friend, a Scotch Brite pad, or fine-grit sandpaper.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Many synthetic biologists, including Adamala, are seeking to make a synthetic cell — with natural chirality — from scratch out of non-living parts.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
  • In-demand Brit director Lloyd is a specialist at stripping down plays and musicals to scratch out raw feeling and electrifying modernity, usually with major-name stars.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
  • The last two generations came of age in a world where digital birthday cards are standard, signatures are scrawled awkwardly using a finger and to-do shopping lists no longer offer the satisfying opportunity to scratch out item after item.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Frequently Asked Questions The best products to use for removing scratches out of stainless steel safely is Bar Keepers Friend, a Scotch Brite pad, or fine-grit sandpaper.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
  • In Game 2 of the double header, Pinkston (9-16-1) was able to scratch out 4 hits against Kennedale’s Rami Mahmoud, but again couldn’t score in a 10-0, 6 inning game.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 May 2026
  • Christy Baker won $50,000 playing the Instant Million lottery game after scratching out a few lucky numbers on her anniversary, according to the Arkansas lottery.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scratch out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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