scrum

noun

ˈskrəm 

1

a

or scrummage

ˈskrə-mij 

: a rugby play in which the forwards of each side come together in a tight formation and struggle to gain possession of the ball using their feet when it is tossed in among them

also : the arrangement of players in a scrum

b

: a usually brief and disorderly struggle or fight : scrape, scuffle

2

a

British : madhouse sense 2

b

: a usually tightly packed or disorderly crowd : throng

scrummage intransitive verb

Synonyms of scrum

• throng
• crowd
• swarm
• flock
• horde
• mob

Examples of scrum in a Sentence

I had to fight my way through the scrum of holiday shoppers at the mall.

when the server spilled a drink on a customer, they got into a bit of a scrum before being separated

Recent Examples on the Web

While viral videos poke fun, territorial scrums over scarce Costco spots can turn ugly, and sometimes violent. — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Players participated in practice interviews, informal scrums and official press conferences throughout the weekend. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026

Hours later, across the globe, after the Dodgers dispatched the San Diego Padres in a season-opening win – and after Mizuhara served as Ohtani’s interpreter in a hurried and rushed postgame media scrum – Hiltzik called ESPN again. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 28 July 2026

This comes on the heels of San Diego Comic Con, where increasingly basic International champion Kyle Fletcher was involved in an embarrassing and terribly acted press conference that was as real as an AEW media scrum. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for scrum

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum