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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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)

---

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

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

I clear my throat and scribble on my worksheet to show her I’m extremely busy.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

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

Malak picks up a pen from the headteacher's desk and scribbles over the photo.

From BBC ● May 7, 2025

Photographic series he made there, like “Westtexaspsychosculpture,” depict forlorn whorls of fencing-wire debris that look like uncanny mimics of Wool’s own writhing scribbles, and which inspired scaled-up versions cast in bronze.

From New York Times ● May 2, 2024

But regardless, some of these collapsed loops and hasty scribbles are impossible to make out.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

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

Some of them press questions scribbled on pieces of paper or typed in their phone against the glass, and the preparators answer them with notes of their own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 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

Amid political graffiti scribbled in red paint on trees and rocks, we passed a group of women washing clothes in a gully.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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

Scenes of Redford and Hoffman taking phone calls and scribbling down notes, or poring over library slips in desperate search of a kernel of a lead, were thrilling.

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026

After buying a $16 entry ticket — no deductible — audience members have the option of scribbling an anonymous confession or a personal dilemma onto a piece of paper before dropping it into a box.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026

I stood there, scribbling and describing and wishing I had one of my very own.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

Related Words

• jot
• scratch
• scrawl