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

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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

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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

On busy nights, I’d estimate the wait, scribble down a last name, party size and pager number in black pen, then hand over a pleasantly hefty plastic puck.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

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

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

To entertain themselves, they used notebooks to scribble down funny or vivid things other people brought up in their treatment groups, they said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

Werner remembers how Jutta would write her letters in a flurry and scribble The Professor, France on the envelope and drop them into the mailbox in the square.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

He stacks bullet points along the side of the whiteboard, scribbles concepts and facts we throw at him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Famous for its walls bearing scribbles and sketches left behind by patrons for over 60 years, El Batey, a bar in Old San Juan, is a Puerto Rican institution serving locals and tourists alike.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Steves is a lifelong Lutheran, a Christian who, during our Salon photo shoot, scribbles a postcard to his Grandma Grace on "Long Gone Ave., Heaven."

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2025

When India head coach Gautam Gambhir scribbles down in his notepad what has gone wrong for them here then a poor showing under the floodlights will surely be top of the list.

From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2024

Peter tears a sheet from the back of his notepad and hands it to Caleb, who scribbles something on it— directions.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

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

Suddenly, she detoured to Target and declared “we’re combining,” and I dutifully rewrapped and scribbled a joint note for gifts that never felt quite right alone but together were perfect.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 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

Lexie looked down at her hands, as if she might find a note scribbled on her palms, like a cheat sheet to guide her through.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

But the idea is sure to get tongues wagging - and headline writers scribbling.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

“We’re all scribbling notes, and after about an hour, we’d go, ‘I think we got enough here,’ and we’d go write songs about what she’d told us.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

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

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

From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2026

I picture her in a front-row seat, scribbling reviews that make or break the shows, vanishing at intermission while the actors' hearts break.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

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Related Words

• jot
• scratch
• scrawl

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