scribble

[ skrib-uhl ]

/ ˈskrɪb əl /

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See synonyms for: scribble / scribbling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), scrib·bled, scrib·bling.

to write hastily or carelessly: to scribble a letter.

to cover with meaningless writing or marks: to scribble all over a page.

verb (used without object), scrib·bled, scrib·bling.

to write or draw in a hasty or careless way.

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

noun

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

a hasty or careless drawing or piece of writing.

handwriting, especially when illegible.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of scribble

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

OTHER WORDS FROM scribble

scrib·bling·ly, adverb

Other definitions for scribble (2 of 2)

scribble²

[ skrib-uhl ]

/ ˈskrɪb əl /

verb (used with object), scrib·bled, scrib·bling.

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

Origin of scribble

First recorded in 1675–85; from Dutch schribbelen “to scratch”; cognate with schrobbelen “to card wool coarsely,” frequentative of schrobben to scrub¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scribble in a sentence

That volume — coffee- and beer-stained, dog-eared and scribbled in over the years — was eventually lost somewhere in Amsterdam.
World class: Remembering legendary travel writer Jan Morris|Liza Weisstuch|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
Tucked away among the book’s many treasures is a photo of the original lyrics to Parton’s hit “Coat of Many Colors,” about a child who is mocked for wearing a coat of rags to school, scribbled on one of Wagoner’s dry-cleaning receipts.
‘Dolly Parton, Songteller’ is a gold mine of little-seen photos and personal anecdotes|Allison Stewart|November 30, 2020|Washington Post
It draws from the “world’s largest doodling data set,” which includes more than 50 million drawings used to teach algorithms how to recognize crudely scribbled objects.
This Billie Eilish cover is unlike any other (because it’s made by Google’s AI)|Stan Horaczek|November 24, 2020|Popular-Science
So that I got to speak with Stamaty himself, the son of cartoonist parents, at Caffe Reggio on MacDougal Street, a setting he scribbled any number of times, and right around the time I started scripting my first cartoon book was heavenly.
The Unbearable Greatness of Comic King Mark Alan Stamaty|Eugene Robinson|November 4, 2020|Ozy

He says he enjoys lectures, PowerPoint presentations, a professor scribbling on a whiteboard.
Football is back in Happy Valley. The coronavirus never left.|Kent Babb|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
So, I had a pen and a pencil and started scribbling and drawing, and I felt good about it.
The Renegade: Robert Downey Sr. on His Classic Films, Son’s Battle with Drugs, and Bill Cosby|Marlow Stern|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He becomes angry, intransigent, furiously scribbling notes; Chaz meets determination with determination.
My Friend, Roger Ebert: Pulitzer Prize Winner Tom Shales on the Moving Documentary ‘Life Itself’|Tom Shales|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scribbling notes in the classroom next door is Justine, a shy 17-year-old orphan who is the only female in her class.
Victims No More: Congo’s Badass Women Mechanics|Nina Strochlic|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A couple of ladies, standing on tiptoe, are scribbling over it with eyeliner and lipstick.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou|John Ed Bradley|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I caught his eye and made a motion with my hand, as if I were scribbling out the bill for our lunch.
The Fourth War: My Lunch with a Jihadi|Elliot Ackerman|January 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A little boy aged two years and four months was deprived of a pencil from Thursday to Sunday for scribbling on the wall-paper.
Children's Ways|James Sully
The "spirit writing" consists of unmeaning, unintelligible scribbling scrawls, and very rarely containing any letters or words.
Second Edition of A Discovery Concerning Ghosts|George Cruikshank
And, scribbling a hasty memorandum, he pressed the electric button upon the arm of his chair.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux
Williams was at a desk, the florist box lying in front of him, scribbling on a deposit slip.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Can't I turn the honest penny, scribbling for the weekly press, And in writing Sunday libels drown my private wretchedness?
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various

British Dictionary definitions for scribble (1 of 2)

scribble¹

/ (ˈskrɪbəl) /

verb

to write or draw in a hasty or illegible manner

to make meaningless or illegible marks (on)

derogatory, or facetious to write poetry, novels, etc

noun

hasty careless writing or drawing

writing, esp literary matter, of poor quality

meaningless or illegible marks

Derived forms of scribble

scribbly, adjective

Word Origin for scribble

C15: from Medieval Latin scrībillāre to write hastily, from Latin scrībere to write

British Dictionary definitions for scribble (2 of 2)

scribble²

/ (ˈskrɪbəl) /

verb

(tr) to card (wool, etc)

Word Origin for scribble

C17: probably from Low German; compare schrubben scrub 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

scribble

Origin of scribble

OTHER WORDS FROM scribble

Other definitions for scribble (2 of 2)

Origin of scribble

Words related to scribble

How to use scribble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scribble (1 of 2)

Derived forms of scribble

Word Origin for scribble

British Dictionary definitions for scribble (2 of 2)

Word Origin for scribble