scrape together
C1Neutral to Informal (more common in spoken and journalistic contexts)
Definition
Meaning
To gather or collect something, especially money or resources, with difficulty and effort, often from various sources.
To manage to obtain something (like time, people, or a small amount of something) through persistent effort, frugality, or by using whatever is available, usually when resources are scarce.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The phrasal verb inherently implies difficulty, effort, and often a sense of barely achieving the minimum required amount. It suggests a process that is not straightforward or easy.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage and meaning are identical in both varieties. Spelling differences do not apply to this phrasal verb.
Connotations
Slightly more common in UK media and informal speech to denote financial struggle. In the US, 'scrape up' is a very common near-synonym with identical meaning.
Frequency
Moderately common in both varieties. 'Scrape up' may be marginally more frequent in American English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] + scrape together + [Direct Object: usually money/amount][Subject] + scrape together + enough + [Noun/Infinitive]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “scrape together a living (to barely earn enough to survive)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in contexts of startups, fundraising, or budget constraints, e.g., 'They scraped together the seed capital from friends and family.'
Academic
Rare in formal academic writing; may appear in economic or sociological texts discussing poverty or resource mobilization.
Everyday
Very common for discussing personal finances, last-minute plans, or informal group efforts, e.g., 'Let's scrape together some money for pizza.'
Technical
Not typically used in technical fields with specialized jargon.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- We need to scrape together a fiver for the bus fare.
- The community scraped together a few volunteers for the clean-up.
- He's just scraping together a living as a freelance writer.
American English
- They scraped together enough cash for the down payment.
- Can we scrape together a team for the softball game?
- I had to scrape together the last of my savings.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I scraped together some coins to buy bread.
- They scraped together enough money to go to the cinema.
- We scraped together a team for the football match.
- The charity is trying to scrape together funds for the new community centre.
- Somehow, she scraped together the rent at the last minute.
- The fledgling political party struggled to scrape together the required number of signatures.
- Despite the recession, they managed to scrape together a modest profit.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine using a **scraper** tool to painstakingly collect every last coin from the bottom of a jar or from cracks in the floor, then putting them **together**. The effort and the small, hard-to-reach pieces illustrate the meaning.
Conceptual Metaphor
RESOURCES ARE PHYSICAL OBJECTS THAT ARE SCATTERED AND HARD TO COLLECT (requiring a scraping motion). FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY IS PHYSICAL CONSTRAINT.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid literal translation ('соскрести вместе'). The Russian equivalent is often a verb like 'наскрести' (to scrape up) or phrases like 'с трудом набрать/собрать'.
- Do not confuse with 'scrape through' (еле пройти) which is about barely succeeding in a test, not gathering resources.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'We scraped together to buy a gift.' (Missing object) Correct: 'We scraped together some money to buy a gift.'
- Incorrect preposition: 'scrape together for money'. Correct: 'scrape together money' or 'scrape money together'.
- Using it for large, easy sums: 'The corporation scraped together a billion dollars.' (Inappropriate - implies an easy process for them).
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'scrape together' INCORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is a separable phrasal verb. You can say 'scrape the money together' or 'scrape together the money'. The separable form is very common.
'Save up' implies a planned, gradual accumulation of money, often by not spending. 'Scrape together' implies greater difficulty, urgency, and often gathering from disparate or meagre sources, not necessarily by saving.
Yes. While most common with money, it can be used for people (a team, a crowd), food, resources, or even intangible things like 'courage' or 'support', always emphasizing the difficulty of gathering them.
It is generally neutral but leans slightly negative as it highlights scarcity and struggle. However, it can have a positive connotation of resilience and determination when someone succeeds in scraping something together.