scribble

verb

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scrib·ble | \ ˈskri-bəl

scribbled; scribbling\ ˈskri-b(ə-)liŋ

\; scribbles

Definition of scribble

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive + intransitive

1 : to write or draw hastily or carelessly a note scribbled on the back of an envelope Harriet scribbled in her notebook as soon as she took her seat.— Louise Fitzhugh He 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

2 : to fill or cover something with careless or worthless writings or drawings a scribbled envelope … papers … scribbled over with clues … — English Digest

scribble

noun

plural scribbles

Definition of scribble (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about scribble

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Synonyms for scribble

Synonyms: Verb

Examples 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: Verb Volunteers have seen visitors leave trash, loot fossils and remnants of Native American settlements, and scribble graffiti over ancient rock art. — Washington Post, "Tourists and looters descend on Bears Ears as Biden mulls protections," 8 Apr. 2021 Read, take photographs, journal, keep a hundred notebooks to draw, doodle and scribble down midnight ideas. — Jodie Cook, Forbes, "How To Be Creative As An Entrepreneur," 6 Apr. 2021 Turkle doesn’t scribble these theories out longhand in a house off the grid. — Corinne Purtill, The New Yorker, "Sherry Turkle’s Plugged-In Year," 23 Mar. 2021 People in the office can scribble on the giant screen and those in a Google Meet video call can view and add to it. — Joanna Stern, WSJ, "From Remote Work to Hybrid Work: The Tech You’ll Need to Link Home and Office," 14 Mar. 2021 Founded by surfer Shawn Stüssy, who fell into the clothing business by selling merch with his name scrawled across them for promotion, Stüssy accidentally created one of the world's most recognizable logos—the iconic graffiti Stüssy scribble. — Shelby Comroe, Marie Claire, "Stüssy Announces Its 40th Anniversary World Tour Collection," 16 Nov. 2020 Its new software allows users to scribble down notes with the Apple Pencil, which the device can recognize and transform into text and shapes. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, PEOPLE.com, "Apple’s Most Popular iPad Ever Just Got a Huge Upgrade — and You Can Get It Today," 18 Sep. 2020 Take the money, scribble a bit, and enjoy the room service.’’ Bruce Jay Friedman was born April 26, 1930, in the Bronx. — Matt Schudel, BostonGlobe.com, "Bruce Jay Friedman, novelist, playwright with an edge of ‘black humor,’ dies at 90," 6 June 2020 As the trial started, some started scribbling furiously. — Natalie Andrews, WSJ, "For Senators at Impeachment Trial, No Coffee, No Cellphones and No Talking," 22 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scribble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.