scramble

American  

[skram-buhl] / ˈskræm bəl /

verb (used without object)

scrambled, scrambling

1. to climb or move quickly using one's hands and feet, as down a rough incline.

2. to compete or struggle with others for possession or gain.

   The children scrambled for the coins we tossed.

3. to move hastily and with urgency.

   She scrambled into her coat and ran out the door.

4. Military. (of pilots or aircraft) to take off as quickly as possible to intercept enemy planes.

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verb (used with object)

scrambled, scrambling

1. to collect or organize (things) in a hurried or disorderly manner (often followed by together orup ).

   He scrambled the papers up from the desk. I scrambled the report together at the last minute.

2. to mix together confusedly.

   The teacher has hopelessly scrambled our names and faces.

3. to cause to move hastily, as if in panic.

   He scrambled everyone out of the burning building.

4. to cook (eggs) in a pan while stirring, usually after mixing whites and yolks together.

5. to make (a radio or telephonic message) incomprehensible to interceptors by systematically changing the transmission frequencies.

6. to mix the elements of (a television signal) so that only subscribers with a decoding box can receive the signal.

7. Military. to cause (an intercepting aircraft or pilot) to take off in the shortest possible time, in response to an alert.

noun

1. a quick climb or progression over rough, irregular ground.

2. a struggle for possession or gain.

   a scramble for choice seats in the stadium.

3. any disorderly or hasty struggle or proceeding.

4. Military. an emergency takeoff of interceptors performed in the shortest possible time.

scramble British  

/ ˈskræmbəl /

verb

1. (intr) to climb or crawl, esp by using the hands to aid movement

2. (intr) to proceed hurriedly or in a disorderly fashion

3. to compete with others, esp in a disordered manner

   to scramble for a prize

4. to deal with hurriedly and unsystematically

5. (tr) to throw together in a haphazard manner; jumble

6. (tr) to collect in a hurried or disorganized manner

7. (tr) to cook (eggs that have been whisked up with milk and seasoning) in a pan containing a little melted butter

8. military to order (a crew or aircraft) to take off immediately or (of a crew or aircraft) to take off immediately

9. (tr) to render (speech) unintelligible during transmission by means of an electronic scrambler

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noun

1. the act of scrambling

2. a climb over rocks that involves the use of the hands but not ropes, etc

3. a disorderly struggle, esp to gain possession

4. military an immediate preparation for action, as of crew, aircraft, etc

5. a motorcycle rally in which competitors race across rough open ground

Etymology

Origin of scramble

1580–90; blend of dial. scamble to stumble along, and scrabble (in the same sense)

Explanation

To scramble is to move quickly in a disorganized fashion, like people running to get out of the rain. When you scramble a message, it can no longer be read. Have you ever run somewhere, in a hurry, with no regard for how you looked? Then you scrambled. Quarterbacks scramble when they need to escape defenders trying to clobber them. A scramble is not graceful; people scramble when they want to get somewhere fast. Also, scrambling refers to altering a message so others can't read it. Putting a message into code is a type of scrambling. Scrambled messages are like scrambled eggs: all mixed up.

Example Sentences

Authorities say that, before they were killed, they slowed the shooters, sent out a warning and alerted police, allowing dozens of schoolchildren inside the mosque to scramble for safety.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

To prevent that, he asked colleague Patrick Abbott to scramble part of the data.

From Science Daily • May 18, 2026

“In recent weeks, there is a very slight uptick in availability… but the compute scramble is still ongoing,” Pies told MarketWatch via email.

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

But the race to deploy AI agents is running headlong into a scramble for the chips and energy needed to power them.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

Mr. Hodge bent down, ready to scramble down from the rock, but then he straightened up again.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• clamber
• climb
• contend
• crawl
• jostle
• push
• rush
• scurry
• vie