itch

1 of 2

verb

itched; itching; itches

intransitive verb

1
a
: to have an itch
her arm itched
b
: to produce an itchy sensation
long underwear that itches
2
: to have a restless desire or hankering for something
were itching to go outside

transitive verb

1
: to cause to itch
2

itch

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an uneasy irritating sensation in the upper surface of the skin usually held to result from mild stimulation of pain receptors
b
: a skin disorder accompanied by such a sensation
especially : a contagious eruption caused by a mite (Sarcoptes scabiei) that burrows in the skin and causes intense itching
2
a
: a restless usually constant often compulsive desire
an itch to travel
itchiness noun
itchy adjective

Examples of itch in a Sentence

Verb His eyes began to burn and itch because of his allergies. This sweater makes me itch. Noun I had a slight itch on my back. Scratching only makes the itch worse. She's always had an itch for adventure. He has an itch to travel.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The assertive approach to the session illustrated just how much Republicans in Louisiana have been itching to dismantle the legislative legacy of Gov. John Bel Edwards, the two-term Democrat who preceded Mr. Landry, and to adopt policies that Mr. Edwards would have thwarted. Rick Rojas, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The medications may stop itching from blisters and allergies but don't alleviate eczema symptoms.16 Additionally, rough fabrics, like wool, can make your skin itch, warned Dr. Bordone. Andrea Stanley, Health, 4 Mar. 2024 So episode four was about showing up and meeting these officers and itching to get up there, and then being sobered by the devastation of what the mission really is. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2024 Additionally, sometimes excessively itching the bites can increase the chance of a secondary skin infection, the CDC warns. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Companies fall in love with the name-creating process (and AI is itching to dominate this process too), and love nothing more than coming up with a great name. Jess Collen, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024 Despite his multitude of accomplishments, Perez is still itching to do one thing. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2024 OpenAI’s new generative AI tool Sora, revealed Thursday, doesn’t have a release date yet, but those itching to play with it can share their text-to-video prompts directly with the company’s CEO, who is posting a select number of results online. Leslie Katz, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 For these children, eating certain foods triggers an immune system overreaction that can cause anything from itching and eczema to difficulty breathing and life-threatening anaphylactic shock. Kaitlin Bell, Parents, 6 Feb. 2024
Noun
These opioid receptors when stimulated and/or inhibited by the body's natural ligands have been known to be involved in the body's itch circuitry. Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2024 Sometimes her chin tingles or itches, which drives Tashay a bit batty. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2024 The barrier is impaired in skin that's affected by psoriasis, which can lead to dryness and itch. Marci Robin, Allure, 1 Feb. 2024 The couple soon got the itch again to open their own place in their new city. Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 18 Jan. 2024 The thermal spring water in this cleansing oil has been shown to help alleviate that itch from eczema breakouts. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 14 Jan. 2024 To ignore the itch and come back to Michigan will come with the increasingly likely chance that Harbaugh faces more penalties for NCAA violations that have occurred under his watch. Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024 This is the power and the anachronism of the Christmas card, which scratches an itch that iPhones should have cured by now. Mac Schwerin, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2023 Road restoration scratched his mechanical itch in service of a higher calling. Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'itch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English icchen, from Old English giccan; akin to Old High German jucchen to itch

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of itch was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near itch

Cite this Entry

“Itch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/itch. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

itch

1 of 2 verb
1
: to have or produce an itch
2
: to cause to itch
3
: to have a strong desire
itching to get going

itch

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: an uneasy irritating feeling in the skin usually held to result from exciting cells or groups of cells which sense pain
b
: a skin disorder accompanied by an itch
especially : scabies
2
: a restless usually constant desire
itchiness noun
itchy adjective

Medical Definition

itch

noun
1
: an uneasy irritating sensation in the upper surface of the skin usually held to result from mild stimulation of pain receptors
2
: a skin disorder accompanied by an itch
especially : a contagious eruption caused by an itch mite of the genus Sarcoptes (S. scabiei) that burrows in the skin and causes intense itching
itch verb
itchiness noun
itchy adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on itch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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