scratchscratchscratches2noun (pluralscratches)a cut or mark that a sharp thing makes: Her hands were covered in scratches from the cat.from scratchfrom the beginning: I threw away the letter I was writing and started again from scratch.scratchscratchscratchesscratchedscratching1verb (scratches, scratching, scratched)1to move your nails across your skin: She scratched her head.2to cut or make a mark on something with a sharp thing: The cat scratched me!