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

There was some punching, a ton of pushing and shoving and a lot of jawing, too, as the scrum spread across the grass. —Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026

The biggest scrum in the larger tech industry (and maybe the global economy) will have its impact on sports, too. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 2 Jan. 2026

An hour after the game ended, as Gonzalez was wrapping up his postgame media scrum, Jayson Tatum popped his head into the locker room. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Dec. 2025

Saunders made contact with an official who was trying to break up the scrum. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025

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