scrabble
verb (used with object)
to scratch or scrape, as with the claws or hands.
had scrabbled
-
past perfectof scrabble.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She had lost an earring on the floor of her hotel bedroom, and she and Glendinning had scrabbled around on their knees.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 18, 2019
An ancient and destitute woman had scrabbled for years in one of the town's back streets.
From Time Magazine Archive
Accordingly, 22 commissions of Italian experts had scrabbled for a year among the notebooks and sketches in which Leonardo recorded his observations and speculations in the fields of engineering, mathematics, physics, anatomy, architecture, astronomy, whatever.
From Time Magazine Archive
The furies of rage and rancour were grabbling at her heart, even as the leopard had scrabbled on her face.
From Blue Aloes Stories of South Africa by Cynthia Stockley
He had earned a diploma by a correspondence course, and had scrabbled together a small practice among retired shopkeepers.
From The Job An American Novel by Sinclair Lewis
