scribble

¹ American  

[skrib-uhl] / ˈskrɪb əl /

verb (used with object)

scribbled, scribbling

1. to write hastily or carelessly.

   to scribble a letter.

2. to cover with meaningless writing or marks.

   to scribble all over a page.

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verb (used without object)

scribbled, scribbling

1. to write or draw in a hasty or careless way.

2. to make meaningless marks, scrolls, lines, etc., with a pencil, pen, or the like.

noun

• scribbles
  plural

1. a note or other writing that has little or no meaning.

2. a hasty or careless drawing or piece of writing.

3. handwriting, especially when illegible.

scribble ² American  

[skrib-uhl] / ˈskrɪb əl /

verb (used with object)

scribbled, scribbling

1. to tear apart (wool fibers) in the first stages of carding.

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scribble ¹ British  

/ ˈskrɪbəl /

verb

1. to write or draw in a hasty or illegible manner

2. to make meaningless or illegible marks (on)

3. derogatory to write poetry, novels, etc

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noun

1. hasty careless writing or drawing

2. writing, esp literary matter, of poor quality

3. meaningless or illegible marks

scribble ² British  

/ ˈskrɪbəl /

verb

1. (tr) to card (wool, etc)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• scribbly
  adjective
• scribblingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• scribbles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of scribble¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English verb scriblen, scribul, from Medieval Latin scrībillāre “to scribble,” derivative of Latin scrībere “to write”; see also shrive

Origin of scribble²

First recorded in 1675–85; from Dutch schribbelen “to scratch”; cognate with schrobbelen “to card wool coarsely,” frequentative of schrobben to scrub ¹

Explanation

To scribble is to write something quickly and sloppily. You can also call someone's handwriting, if it's hard to read, a scribble. Have you ever made a note of something very quickly, and then later when you tried to read it, you couldn't? That's a scribble. People scribble when they need to write fast. The problem with scribbling—-making a scribble-—is that it’s hard to read. Some people have handwriting that is always hard to read: you can call poor handwriting a scribble. Doctors are famous for their scribbles. The Latin root is scribere, "to write."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scribble scribbles scribbled scribbling

Then, in April, the court said: Now that we have the full case before us, we’re going to summarily reverse the district court for the reasons set forth in our five-paragraph scribble from December.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

Ava steps away for a moment, giving Deborah an opportunity to reach for her notebook to scribble a thought . . . then it happens.

From Salon ● May 29, 2026

Based on a 2014 play by David Haig, who co-wrote its screenplay with its director, Anthony Maras, the movie faces an obvious challenge: Watching meteorologists scribble notations on charts isn’t particularly cinematic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

Around her, students scribble notes and sketch corrections into their drawings: Watch the creases as the model walks.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

They hoped I would come back with a cast that they could all scribble their signatures on.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Even now, most of her lyrics exist as scattered notes and unfinished scribbles.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

Meanwhile, the 2025 novel “Unfit” by Ariana Harwicz, about a mother losing her children in a custody battle, uses erratic crayon scribbles on its cover.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026

Mr. Polito identifies Mr. Dylan’s myriad sources, the contents of the box, often from unimpeachable evidence: the songwriter’s own scribbles in the margins of his manuscripts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

Ultimately for me, this season’s scribbles ended up looking something like:

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2025

On his lap he held a lined yellow pad that was covered with scribbles.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Handwritten touches are found everywhere — “Plz take it in with your eyes and heart” is scribbled on the floor in both English and Korean.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

I would send the work I thought was my best, and I knew he read them, because he’d often send them back with scribbled notes and comments.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Parton later quietly organized for Bandit to be surpised with a custom acoustic guitar, bedazzled with rhinestones and the words "To Brigitte, Love Dolly" scribbled across it.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Inside, in scribbled blue handwriting, we found dozens of names - from shopkeepers and doctors, to military officials and people with the Luka family name.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

I mumbled a thank-you and quickly sat down against the wall, propping the paper against my knee as I scribbled down the bullet points from the letter as best I could from memory.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

He often made notes, scribbling in an A4 hardback notebook, and sometimes shook his head at parts of their testimony.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

Instead, performance slumped and he retired in February 2000, scribbling a message on his office whiteboard: “Tulip bulbs for sale”—a reminder of 17th-century speculation in the Dutch flower market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

As I turned the pages, I kept scribbling the same question in the margins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

They moved on to a client tender and she was scribbling notes.

From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2026

It’s one thing to be purposely mysterious, but it’s rude to be scribbling stuff right in front of someone.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

Related Words

• jot
• scratch
• scrawl