scrapbook
B1Informal, primarily personal/domestic use.
Definition
Meaning
A blank book in which you stick pictures, newspaper articles, or other things you have collected, as a way of preserving memories.
Any collection of assorted items, digital or physical, compiled for personal interest or as a record. Also used metaphorically for a disorganized mixture of ideas or memories.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word combines 'scrap' (a small piece) and 'book' (a bound collection). It implies a personally curated, often sentimental collection, not a professionally published album.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Spelling is identical.
Connotations
Equally strong connotations of nostalgia, hobby, and personal memory-keeping in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly more common in US English, correlating with the popularity of the hobby. The digital sense ('digital scrapbook') is equally current in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
keep a scrapbook of [memories/holidays]make a scrapbook for [someone]put something in a scrapbookVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A scrapbook of memories”
- “Life is not a scrapbook (implies life is messy, not neatly curated).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Possibly in marketing ('create a brand scrapbook') or HR ('career scrapbook').
Academic
Rare. Could be used in media studies or sociology to describe a curated collection of data or cultural artefacts.
Everyday
Common. Refers to the physical/digital hobby and its products.
Technical
In computing, can refer to a temporary storage area for data or media clips (e.g., a clipboard/scrapbook function).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She spends her weekends scrapbooking her children's early years.
- I need to scrapbook all these tickets before I lose them.
American English
- We scrapbooked our road trip as soon as we got home.
- Her hobby is scrapbooking family history.
adverb
British English
- No standard adverbial form in use.
American English
- No standard adverbial form in use.
adjective
British English
- She bought some lovely scrapbook paper.
- It's a scrapbook-style presentation.
American English
- We need more scrapbook supplies.
- She has a great scrapbook idea.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I have a scrapbook with many photos.
- My grandma showed me her old scrapbook.
- She is making a scrapbook of our holiday in Spain.
- I found some old letters to put in my memory scrapbook.
- The digital scrapbook she created was a touching tribute to her grandfather.
- His report was less an analysis and more a scrapbook of loosely related ideas.
- The memoir reads like a literary scrapbook, weaving together fragments of diaries, letters, and poems.
- The artist's studio was a chaotic scrapbook of inspiration, with clippings covering every surface.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: You SCRAP together memories and put them in a BOOK.
Conceptual Metaphor
LIFE IS A COLLECTED NARRATIVE (The scrapbook metaphor frames life events as discrete items to be collected, arranged, and preserved.)
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводите как 'скрапбук' (это транслитерация, а не перевод). Более точный перевод — 'альбом для вырезок' или 'альбом с памятными вещами'.
- Избегайте кальки 'книга обрезков', это неверно.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'scrapbook' as a verb without a clear context (e.g., 'I scrapbooked yesterday' is informal/niche).
- Confusing with 'sketchbook' (for drawings).
Practice
Quiz
What is the PRIMARY connotation of a 'scrapbook'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, especially in hobbyist contexts. It means the activity of making a scrapbook. It's informal but widely understood.
A photo album typically holds only photographs, often in pre-cut slots. A scrapbook is more creative, incorporating photos, text, tickets, drawings, and decorations on themed pages.
Yes, metaphorically. Calling a report or argument 'a mere scrapbook' suggests it is a disorganized collection of ideas without coherent analysis.
It is a solid compound: 'scrapbook'. The hyphenated form 'scrap-book' is archaic.
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