scribbled; scribbling
ˈskri-b(ə-)liŋ 
; scribbles
; scribbles
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
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
: to fill or cover something with careless or worthless writings or drawings
a scribbled envelope
… 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
Ernesto Londoño, Twin Cities, 1 Sep. 2025
The Better Business Bureau is telling parents to avoid scribbling out too many personal details about their children, such as their name, age, school, teacher and grade level, on those chalkboards.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
The Motown Philly, a Detroit-style take on the Philly cheesesteak, features hunks of shredded beef, peppers, onions and mushrooms; and the Pear Necessities consists of a sweet-savory medley of juicy pears, spinach leaves, smoky bacon, and feta, topped off with a scribble of honey.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 29 July 2025
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Verb
The attacker left behind a lengthy suicide note, journal entries and scribbling on the weapons used in the ambush at the Church of the Annunciation, which is affiliated with an adjacent Catholic school.
—Ernesto Londoño, Twin Cities, 1 Sep. 2025
The Better Business Bureau is telling parents to avoid scribbling out too many personal details about their children, such as their name, age, school, teacher and grade level, on those chalkboards.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
His notepad is sprawled open before him, with pages full of scribbles scattered across the table.
—Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
The Motown Philly, a Detroit-style take on the Philly cheesesteak, features hunks of shredded beef, peppers, onions and mushrooms; and the Pear Necessities consists of a sweet-savory medley of juicy pears, spinach leaves, smoky bacon, and feta, topped off with a scribble of honey.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scribble
Cite this Entry
“Scribble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scribble. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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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