scratching out
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Just 10% of Kenyan workers have formal jobs, meaning millions, especially young people, are scratching out a living on the edges of the economy, according to the World Bank.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 9, 2025
“My future life would flow out of this crucial choice because, once I had this precious instrument in my hands, I started scratching out three chords over which I sang snatches of my own melodies.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2024
I would exercise my First Amendment right to free speech—but in the old-fashioned way: by scratching out pamphlets with a quill pen and handing them out on the street.
From Slate • May 8, 2024
If you go to the main Hamburg train station, then you’ll see a lot of those people scratching out their existence.
From Scientific American • Jun. 1, 2023
The first settlers kept pigs and herded sheep on the hillsides, scratching out a living on small farms in the valleys.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
