/ skræp; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C ] a small piece of sth, especially paper, cloth, etc. :
She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper.
( figurative )
scraps of information
( figurative )
She was just a scrap of a thing (= small and thin) .
2.
[ sing. ] (usually with a negative) a small amount of sth
SYN bit :
It won't make a scrap of difference .
There's not a scrap of evidence to support his claim.
a barren landscape without a scrap of vegetation
3.
scraps [ pl. ] food left after a meal :
Give the scraps to the dog.
4.
[ U ] things that are not wanted or cannot be used for their original purpose, but which have some value for the material they are made of :
We sold the car for scrap (= so that any good parts can be used again) .
scrap metal
a scrap dealer (= a person who buys and sells scrap )
5.
( informal ) a short fight or disagreement
SYN squabble , scuffle :
He was always getting into scraps at school.
—see also scrappy
■ verb ( -pp- )
1.
[ vn ] [ often passive ] to cancel or get rid of sth that is no longer practical or useful :
They had been forced to scrap plans for a new school building.
The oldest of the aircraft were scrapped.
2.
[ v ] ( informal ) to fight with sb :
The bigger boys started scrapping.
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WORD ORIGIN
noun senses 1 to 4 and verb sense 1 late Middle English (as a plural noun denoting fragments of uneaten food): from Old Norse skrap scraps; related to skrapa to scrape. The verb dates from the late 19th cent.
noun sense 5 and verb sense 2 late 17th cent. (as a noun in the sense sinister plot, scheme ): perhaps from the noun scrape .