Main Entry: ¹scram·ble

Pronunciation: \ˈskram-bəl\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): scram·bled; scram·bling \-b(ə-)liŋ\

Etymology: perhaps alteration of ¹scrabble

Date: 1568

intransitive verb 1 a : to move with urgency or panic b : to move or climb hastily on all fours
2 a : to struggle eagerly or unceremoniously for possession of something <scramble for front seats> b : to get or gather something with difficulty or in irregular ways <scramble for a living>
3 : to spread or grow irregularly : sprawl, straggle
4 : to take off quickly in response to an alert
5 of a football quarterback : to run with the ball after the pass protection breaks downtransitive verb 1 : to collect by scrambling
2 a : to toss or mix together : jumble b : to prepare (eggs) by stirring during frying
3 : to cause or order (a fighter-interceptor group) to scramble
4 : to disarrange the elements of a transmission (as a telephone or television signal) in order to make unintelligible to interception

— scram·bler \-b(ə-)lər\ noun