scrape
The word evokes a tactile and auditory sensation of friction, typically involving a harsh, grating quality. When used as a verb for removal, it implies a forceful, physical effort to clear a surface, whereas when describing an injury, it suggests a superficial but stinging abrasion.
In a social or financial context, the term shifts toward a sense of desperation or precariousness. To scrape together funds suggests a struggle to find the bare minimum, while being in a scrape implies a predicament that is troublesome but usually not catastrophic.
Meanings
To remove a layer of something from a surface by rubbing it with a hard or sharp tool.
To damage the surface of something by rubbing it against a rough or hard object.
To cause a superficial injury to the skin by rubbing it against a rough surface.
To make a harsh, grating sound by rubbing one hard object against another.
To collect a small amount of money or resources with great difficulty.
Examples
Phrasal Verbs
scrape together
to collect a small amount of money or resources with great difficulty
scrape off
to remove a layer of something from a surface by rubbing it
scrape by
to barely manage to live or survive with very little money