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Use scarce in a sentence

Definition of scarce:

  • (adjective) deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand;
  • (adjective) not enough; hard to find;
  • (adverb) by a small margin;

Sentence Examples:

His next idea was, as he phrased it, to make himself scarce on his own account; but in that his efforts miscarried.

It was scarce a shock to him, when the president of that iniquitous conclave, pronounced in mock solemnity the sentence of death.

He had resumed his restless pacing between desk and window, and as the Austrian entered he scarce paused to receive his salutation.

Belshazzar, with what seemed a scarce pardonable liberty, had thrown himself face downward on a rug near the portal of the court.

On either side the bare stubble, stretching away from the track which led deviously to the scarce discernible hamlets here and there.

Davids Cathedral appears ensconced within the hollow of the vale, its topmost pinnacles scarce rising clear of the distant horizon.

And the walls were guarded, the watch set, because of the false Egyptian, so that a mouse could scarce creep out unnoticed.

Prime molting areas are scarce along the arctic coast, yet are vital to the welfare of thousands of sea ducks and seabirds.

The main gunwales were originally made of white cedar, but when this became scarce at the posts, whipsawed spruce was used instead.

The road for some distance up was alive with katydids and locusts; but birds and other animals seem to be very scarce.

A little heap of peat smolders in the kitchen behind the bedroom, and thus hot water, a prime necessary, is very scarce.

The form of a man scarce past boyhood, drenched from breast to feet in blood, yet still beautiful in its perfect symmetry.

It was a wild luxuriance of growth, a dreamy stillness of solitude, so lovely that one could scarce remember that it was deadly.

It is scarce to be expected that men with wives and families will take a view like this, indeed it is not to be desired.

To the newspaper man, Bob was a godsend; for humor was scarce on board, and "jollying" Bob was a welcome diversion.

She had scarce said this and run down again, before the searchers had missed her and were for remounting the stairs.

If he found many opossums, he indulged in a surfeit; if marsupials, lizards, birds and roots were scarce, he pinched for a time.

That we were journeying south we knew from the heat, which had much increased so that the place was scarce endurable.

She left as early as possible, parting from Sibyl as she had met her, with eyes that scarce dissembled their malignity.

It was a wild luxuriance of growth, a dreamy stillness of solitude, so lovely that one could scarce remember that it was deadly.

He is a very great scoffer; so much so, that he can scarce speak a word without some cavil, or taunt, or sarcasm.

Centipedes, spiders and tarantulas are so scarce that the natives expect about fifty centavos for each large specimen which they catch.

A boat was lowered and our hero, with scarce strength enough to stand, soon found himself on the deck of a French merchantman.

Reports by modern authorities seem to be quite scarce, though there are several cases on record of rape during anesthesia, followed by impregnation.

Foremost is Hugh Peters, full of holy wrath, and scarce containing himself from rushing forward to convict her of damnable heresies.

Olaf sent his spears hurtling on Erik's crowded deck, but he saw that his men were scarce able to hold their own.

A nobler and grander recompense, less chargeable to a petty state, and more capable of influencing both sexes, could scarce be imagined.

In spare moments he classified those scarce and incredibly hardy lunar growths that he found in the foothills of the Arabian Range.

In the winter, when food is scarce, these animals will attack man, but if a bold resistance is offered, they speedily decamp.

A nobler and grander recompense, less chargeable to a petty state and more capable of influencing both sexes, could scarce be imagined.

The toucan is much coveted for special collections by all naturalists, and is becoming very scarce, except in this one equatorial locality.

Ballarat is a barren place, the ground is interspersed with rocky fragments, the creek is small, and good water is rather scarce.

They were like the Tuscan chivalry in the ballad, who could scarce forbear a cheer at the sight of their opponent's prowess.

They would scarce give it to me at first, and 'twas not till they beheld my woebegone plight that their hearts relented.

A gimlet could not more surely penetrate the heart than the cold, unfriendly eyes that peer into yours scarce a yard away.

We can now scarce speak with the vilest drunkard, or swearer, or scoffer, but he hopes to be saved for all this.

I must be your guide through the peopled desert, to certain enchanted lands, which you will scarce discover without chart and pilot.

Yet the Knight ate but sparingly of the good cheer, so lavishly provided; and the famous Italian wine, he scarce touched at all.

His murder gained for him martyrdom with its immortal glory, and he could scarce have met his death under happier auspices.

These primitive children of the forest live in tents of deerskin or bark; and sometimes, where skins are scarce, of branches of trees.

They can scarce disallow the abuses of these, albeit they be intolerable, lest in disallowing the abuse they lose part of their profit.

I had scarce got to the top of the first hill when I spied a light on my left, about a furlong away.

The impending wrestle with the rigors of 'the Horn' sent them to their preparations when we had scarce crossed the Line.

I had scarce got to the top of the first hill when I spied a light on my left, about a furlong away.

The young fellow who had paid for two shares, looked very blank: his remaining chance was now scarce worth a shilling.

There was the boat with furled sails by the broken pier, and within scarce fifty steps the Malory ladies were approaching.

"I left the house like a sleepwalker, scarce conscious of my own actions; nor do I know how I reached my own chamber."

The few undulations which those parts of the body and tail that were out of water made, were scarce a fathom in length.

These they ate voraciously, as though very hungry, and, as a matter of fact, food in that district is both scarce and monotonous.

I began to chew it, chew it gradually, scarce able to control the convulsive movement of my jaws, ready to pulverize a stone.

And when these four beheld one another they were all abashed so that one scarce dared to look the other in the face.

The little that was left of my poor sight is almost washed away by tears, so that I fear I write scarce legibly.

He gave blow for blow, but his poniard scarce drew blood, so nerveless was the arm that would have driven it home.

Even the material for them was growing scarce, and she prided herself on always managing, someway, to keep her knitting needles busy.

Then, raising her transfigured face to heaven, and, folding her hands, she breathed, scarce audibly: "Mother, I have saved you from sin!"

Juan rose to his feet; but so long had he endured this benumbing bondage, that he was scarce able either to stand or move.

She, indeed, could scarce understand them; and that which she could not comprehend she looked upon as the rhapsodizing of a boy.

Barney wondered if the entire Austrian army was kept perpetually upon sentry duty; he had scarce been able to turn without bumping into one.

He gave blow for blow, but his poniard scarce drew blood, so nerveless was the arm that would have driven it home.

Down and down went the road in a gloomy tunnel of arching boughs that scarce left an interstice for the twilight sky.

They had scarce reached it, however, ere they found that the wooden joists and planks of the flooring were already on fire.

Our ordnance was ridiculously inadequate for a siege; our clothes were ragged and foul, our guns bad, our powder scanty, and our food scarce.

Besides an inveterate rheumatism, my appetite is quite gone, and I am so emaciated as to be scarce able to support myself on my own legs.

"Large as the book is, it will scarce prove heavy enough to weigh down the witch, I opine," observed Nicholas, with a smile.

All sorts of things are heartily abused there; especially, perhaps, the weather, free trade, poaching, and people in whose covers foxes are scarce.

It is something fugitive and uncertain, formed of lineaments scarce perceptible, ready to disappear before the eye has fixed them, ephemeral and dazzling.

Death is scarce ever inflicted except for murder; in cases of housebreaking, even when attended with personal violence, it is never thought of.

We had scarce got settled before the vehicle was dashing along at what seemed, to our late perambulator experience, a perfectly breakneck speed.

The fire, now burnt down, threw out only a pale light, scarce strong enough to illumine the group that stood near its edge.

There is scarce an architectural ornament of the Gothic or Grecian styles which may not be found existing as fossils in the rocks.

Why, I suppose, if you had a bad run last night, you would scarce come off for less than ten or twelve shilling.

Good as it was, it could not compare with the Japanese and Chinese lacquer, and the specimens that have survived are relatively scarce.

And humbly, gently, not daring to look up, and murmuring scarce above a whisper, he said: "Little snowdrop, would you trust me still?"

With great labor and fatigue we got off on the following night, and had scarce got under sail before we missed our longboat.

He rose, and we took the road; and presently we came to a place where were two little wayside inns, scarce a furlong apart.

These latter stood with lolling tongues even thus early in the day, for water hereabout was scarce and bitter to the taste.

Scarce a ripple marred the glittering surface of the bay that stretched like a sheet of burnished brass as far as one could see.

They have gone so far as to suppose the two names to have been the same; between which I can scarce descry any resemblance.

Some of them are getting to look so peaky, for milk has been very scarce all winter, and butter a thing of the past.

In its depths were ensconced two women richly dressed, one a beautiful woman of mature years, the other a young girl scarce eighteen years.

Moreover, provisions were scarce among the Spaniards themselves, and it seemed likely that the freebooters, in their passage, would find scant entertainment.

Along the way, below snowbanks, wild flowers grew head-high, but in the woods beside the game trails they were scarce and stunted.

As he thus moralized on my adventures, he looked upon me with so much humor and benignity that I could scarce contain my satisfaction.

On the other hand, it was consoling to remember that eligible suitors for the daughter of an impoverished gentleman were likely to be scarce.

He rose, and we took the road; and presently we came to a place where were two little wayside inns, scarce a furlong apart.

Defying danger and privation, she resumed her travels, and has since left scarce a spot of peculiar interest on the globe unvisited.

When they landed, they found, to their surprise, that instead of cowries being very scarce on the beach, they were very abundant.

A few men guarded the booths along the palisades from pilferers, though scarce a possible pilferer roamed from the center of interest.

When reaching the dusty alkaline plains, where both good water and grass were scarce, naturally the best tempered people often turned grumblers.

As he thus moralized on my adventures, he looked upon me with so much humor and benignity that I could scarce contain my satisfaction.

Confess ingenuously to me, that in our arrangements, as indifferent as they are free, what we style happiness scarce deserves the name of pleasure.

The plot is at length involved in so many intricate and apparently unsurmountable difficulties, that it is scarce possible to conceive a satisfactory termination.

The Red Rogue was overjoyed at the success of his stratagem, and could scarce refrain from laughing outright at the prince's anxiety.

As he thus moralized on my adventures, he looked upon me with so much humor and benignity that I could scarce contain my satisfaction.

The woods literally swarmed with them, and when beechnuts and acorns were scarce they were compelled to poach upon the farmer's crops.

Such quantities, I tell you, as scarce could be piled together in one mansion in a time of tumult and rapine from many wealthy establishments.

The required promise given, Martin took his bow and three arrows, and stole cautiously into the wood: it was scarce a furlong distant.

The camp was dogged by these eavesdroppers; scarce a morning, but various articles were missing, yet nothing could be seen of the marauders.

Forage began to be scarce; and it was absolutely necessary that the besiegers should either force their way across the river or retreat.

How is it that the humble mill yonder, whose laggard wheel scarce stirs the water, seems to him like some old familiar thing.