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

Watching Mr. White’s Springsteen scribble down lyrics doesn’t exactly make for a revelatory cinematic experience, however.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

"I scribble and sketch, but shift quickly to the computer. I thought I'd write the whole manuscript longhand - by the third paragraph I gave up."

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025

He had at least two hours before the Master Librarian woke from his fitful sleep and came padding among the bookshelves to check a cross-reference, a footnote, a scribble in the margins.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

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

From BBC ● May 15, 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

In another pivotal moment, Violet scribbles a message that seems to be a big deal according to the tense and pounding score.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025

She scribbles something down and turns to Avery.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

A collection of poems, some scribbled on slips of paper between food deliveries, has won Wang Jibing one of China's top literary honours.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Layers of equipment, from real medical devices to whiteboards scribbled with a patients’ statuses, add to the ambient authenticity of a set built like an open emergency department, not a television soundstage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib furiously scribbled responses like “That’s a lie” and “No King” on a small whiteboard.

From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2026

Last month, I scribbled every form I’d need for my return on the envelope of the first 2025 income-tax form I received:W-2s, receipts, broker statements, etc.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026

Now, as he sat among his scribbled papers in the stillness of his room, the words filled the air.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

And every time, Claude returned to its imaginary chalkboard and began scribbling away again.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Behind them, Lauren Lloyd, 33, visiting from Nashville, sat earnestly scribbling on her wish tag, which was filled from edge to edge with neat script.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

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

From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2026

And earlier this month United defender Noussair Mazraoui was recorded comically scribbling half-hearted signatures on a set of shirts given to him by a hunter who approached him at his car window after training.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

I get out a piece of paper and start scribbling.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

Related Words

• jot
• scratch
• scrawl