scribbled; scribbling
ˈskri-b(ə-)liŋ 
; scribbles
; scribbles
1
transitive + intransitive
: to write or draw hastily or carelessly
Students scribbled furiously as the professor lectured.
Harriet scribbled in her notebook as soon as she took her seat.—
Louise Fitzhugh
Louise FitzhughHe took a stump of lead pencil out of his pocket and scribbled a moustache on the lion's upper lip and then a pair of spectacles on its eyes.—C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis2
intransitive
: to fill or cover something with careless or worthless writings or drawings
The toddler scribbled all over the paper.
… papers … scribbled over with clues …—English Digest
English Digest
plural scribbles
: a piece of writing or a drawing that is done quickly or carelessly
She could barely make out the doctor's scribble.
a page covered with random scribbles
… he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Harry could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, and even a scribble that looked as though it was from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid.—J. K. Rowling
J. K. RowlingExamples of scribble in a Sentence
Verb
She scribbled a note to him and then dashed off to her meeting.
He scribbled down his phone number.
Students scribbled furiously as the professor lectured.
She was scribbling away in a notebook.
The toddler scribbled all over the paper.
Recent Examples on the Web
Judy Berman, Time, 29 May 2026
With his contribution, Scott’s Cactus Jack logo replaced the Spotify sponsor at the center of the shirt, appearing in a rough handwritten script alongside his signature scribbled face motif, both printed in Barcelona’s iconic gold, similar to the chest.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
Webb looks at his watch and scribbles in his notepad.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scribble
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Verb
But when Ava makes a bathroom trip, Deb hastily scribbles something in her notepad.
—Judy Berman, Time, 29 May 2026
With his contribution, Scott’s Cactus Jack logo replaced the Spotify sponsor at the center of the shirt, appearing in a rough handwritten script alongside his signature scribbled face motif, both printed in Barcelona’s iconic gold, similar to the chest.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Noun
The tattoo is simply a replica of scribbles done by her little ones and is on her lower leg behind her knee.
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
Webb looks at his watch and scribbles in his notepad.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scribble
Cite this Entry
“Scribble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scribble. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Etymology
Verb
Middle English scriblen "to write hurriedly or carelessly," from Latin scribillare (same meaning), from earlier scribere "to write" — related to scribe
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