Start from scratch Meaning in English

expression

US

ˈstɑɹt/ /ˈfɹəm/ /ˈskɹætʃ

START frum SKRATCH

UK

stˈɑːt/ /fɹˈɒm/ /skɹˈætʃ

staht FROM SKRATCH

Definition

To begin something again with no preparation or advantage, as if starting at the very beginning.

Usage & Nuances

'Start from scratch' is informal and often used when discussing projects, businesses, or learning new skills. It suggests no prior progress or resources are available. Similar to 'begin from zero'. Not usually used for physical locations.

• Spanish: empezar desde cero
• Portuguese (BR): começar do zero
• Portuguese (PT): começar do zero
• Chinese (Simplified): 从头开始
• Chinese (Traditional): 從頭開始
• Hindi: शुरुआत से शुरू करना
• Arabic: البدء من الصفر
• Bengali: শূন্য থেকে শুরু করা - একদম নতুন করে শুরু করা
• Russian: начать с нуля - начать с самого начала
• Japanese: ゼロから始める
• Vietnamese: bắt đầu lại từ đầu - bắt đầu từ con số không
• Korean: 처음부터 시작하다 - 맨땅에서 시작하다
• Turkish: en baştan başlamak - sıfırdan başlamak
• Urdu: نئے سرے سے شروع کرنا - بالکل شروع سے شروع کرنا
• Indonesian: memulai dari awal - memulai dari nol

Example Sentences

After losing all his files, he had to start from scratch.

basic

If this plan fails, we'll have to start from scratch again.

basic

They built their business by starting from scratch.

basic

I lost my draft, so now I have to start from scratch and rewrite the whole report.

natural

Sometimes it's faster to start from scratch than to fix a broken project.

natural

After the storm destroyed our garden, we had no choice but to start from scratch.

natural