scrabbled; scrabbling
ˈskra-b(ə-)liŋ 
2
: to scratch, claw, or grope about clumsily or frantically
3
b
: to struggle by or as if by scraping or scratching
scrabble for survival
Examples of scrabble in a Sentence
Verb
She scrabbled around in her handbag for a pen.
He scrabbled at the slippery rock.
Noun
it'll be a long scrabble to pull ourselves out of poverty
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2025
For Trump’s Persian Gulf and Arab allies, the prospect of a repeat performance has left them scrabbling for a diplomatic off-ramp.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
One-third of Americans drink regular Coke, which commands about 19 percent of soft drink sales, while other soft drinks scrabble for a distant second place at around 8 percent of the market.
—Whizy Kim, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for scrabble
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Verb
This is not the easy happy ending that Victor discovers: instead there is hardship, and scrabbling, and lowering oneself beyond one’s imaginings.
—Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2025
For Trump’s Persian Gulf and Arab allies, the prospect of a repeat performance has left them scrabbling for a diplomatic off-ramp.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
Noun
The steering also lightens up as the 235-millimeter-wide rubber scrabbles to find grip, the wheels and tires smooth and floaty with just enough traction for rally racing fun.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
One-third of Americans drink regular Coke, which commands about 19 percent of soft drink sales, while other soft drinks scrabble for a distant second place at around 8 percent of the market.
—Whizy Kim, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for scrabble
Cite this Entry
“Scrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrabble. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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