from scratch

/frɒm skrætʃ/

phrase★Intermediate

◆ What It Really Means

To begin something entirely anew, without any prior foundation or resources.

¶ Literal Meaning

Starting from a physical scratch mark or beginning point.

Literal Breakdown

fromindicating origin or starting point+scratcha mark made by scratching

◇ Mental Image

The mental image of starting at a mark on the ground, with no prior progress or materials.

◈ When to Use

A software developer might say, 'I had to build the app from scratch after losing all the previous code.'

◉ Cultural Note

The phrase likely originated in cooking, where starting 'from scratch' means using raw ingredients rather than pre-made ones, and has since been generalized to other fields.

informal

To start something completely from the beginning, without using any pre-existing materials or resources.

After the fire, we had to rebuild the house from scratch.

The startup had to develop its product from scratch with no prior funding.

💡

Often used in contexts where previous work or resources are unavailable or discarded.

Collocations

build from scratchto create something entirely new without using existing materialsstart from scratchto begin a project or task with no prior foundation

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

from the ground upphrase

to build or develop something entirely new

start from zerophrase

to begin a task or project with no prior advantages

💡Pro Tip

Usage Tip

Use 'from scratch' when emphasizing a complete restart or new beginning without relying on existing work.

⚡Gold Rule

Correct Usage

Avoid using 'from scratch' for incremental improvements; it implies a total restart.

📖Word Origin

The phrase originates from cooking, where 'scratch' refers to starting with raw ingredients rather than pre-made ones. It has since been generalized to other contexts.

📝Usage Notes

Commonly used in business, technology, and personal projects to emphasize a complete restart or new beginning.

Word Breakdown

from

starting point

preposition

scratch

the very beginning

noun

English Dictionary