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

You had this rough scribble of a brick base with a curvy wave over the top of it.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

A sticky note was attached to the card with a hasty scribble on it that said, “He’s the right guy for the brownstone.”

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

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

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

Unlike scribbles on a Post-it note, a password manager can be set to back up online.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

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

“Here’s another one of my cousin Jayden’s grafs,” he said, showing us the graffiti scribbles.

From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore

We can credit the actor’s innate emotional agility for his commitment to every part, or a versatility earned over decades of playing many major heroes and villains the Bard scribbled onto parchment.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

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

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

She looked back at the final drawing, at the cloud scribbled over Caterpillar’s head.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 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

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

But her mom was furiously scribbling in a yellow notepad, with piles of books surrounding her at the table.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

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Related Words

• jot
• scratch
• scrawl

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