scrabble

[ skrab-uhl ]

/ ˈskræb əl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for scrabble on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), scrab·bled, scrab·bling.

to scratch or scrape, as with the claws or hands.

to grapple or struggle with or as if with the claws or hands.

to scrawl; scribble.

verb (used without object), scrab·bled, scrab·bling.

to scratch or dig frantically with the hands; claw (often followed by at): scrabbling at a locked door to escape the flames.

to jostle or struggle for possession of something; grab or collect something in a disorderly way; scramble.

noun

a scratching or scraping, as with the claws or hands.

a scrawled or scribbled writing.

a disorderly struggle for possession of something; scramble: After the fumble, there was a scrabble for the football.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of scrabble

1530–40; <Dutch schrabbelen to scratch, frequentative of schrabben to scrape

OTHER WORDS FROM scrabble

scrabbler, noun

Other definitions for scrabble (2 of 2)

Scrabble

[ skrab-uhl ]

/ ˈskræb əl /

Trademark.

a brand name for a game combining anagrams and crosswords in which two to four players use counters of various point values to form words on a playing board.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scrabble in a sentence

If you’re tired of playing cards, Scrabble, and Monopoly, pull out these beautiful wood dominos to create hours of entertainment for the entire family.
10 Stocking Stuffers That Don't Suck|Jakob Schiller|December 16, 2020|Outside Online
Now it resembled a grey old heel of cheese, with a little scrabbling in one corner.
Mushroom Town|Oliver Onions
The scrabbling of the hands under the cloth was to smooth out the leaves after it was freed from this covering.
The Wanderings of a Spiritualist|Arthur Conan Doyle
The blackness started to reel down, but my reflexes are fast and I made one swift, scrabbling step forward.
The Door Through Space|Marion Zimmer Bradley

The fellow uttered a howl as though seared with a hot iron, and scrabbling away from the fire, left the convict free access.
The Gold Hunter's Adventures|William H. Thomes
I say it not in envy, but with the awe of one who has had to scrabble and who sees endless scrabbling ahead.
Jewel Weed|Alice Ames Winter

British Dictionary definitions for scrabble (1 of 2)

scrabble

/ (ˈskræbəl) /

verb

(intr; often foll by about or at) to scrape (at) or grope (for), as with hands or claws

to struggle (with)

(intr often foll by for) to struggle to gain possession, esp in a disorderly manner

to scribble

noun

the act or an instance of scrabbling

a scribble

a disorderly struggle

Word Origin for scrabble

C16: from Middle Dutch shrabbelen, frequentative of shrabben to scrape

British Dictionary definitions for scrabble (2 of 2)

Scrabble

/ (ˈskræbəl) /

noun

trademark a board game in which words are formed by placing lettered tiles in a pattern similar to a crossword puzzle

Derived forms of Scrabble

Scrabbler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

scrabble

Origin of scrabble

OTHER WORDS FROM scrabble

Other definitions for scrabble (2 of 2)

Words related to scrabble

How to use scrabble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scrabble (1 of 2)

Word Origin for scrabble

British Dictionary definitions for scrabble (2 of 2)

Derived forms of Scrabble