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

• 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

Fiery and defensive throughout a scrum that lasted over 90 minutes, Brian Cashman’s frustration reached a high point at the General Managers Meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona on Nov. 7, 2023 when a reporter asked him about the Yankees’ difficulties developing homegrown hitters. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025

By the time he was joined by his longtime friend and fellow Celine ambassador Park Bo-gum and singer Suzy Bae, a veritable scrum had formed around the front row guests. —Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 6 July 2025

The officer then deployed pepper spray into the scrum, prompting protesters to scatter. —Maryam Ahmed, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

The benches and bullpens emptied, but there was never a scrum as the umpires and coaches kept their respective teams on their sides of the field. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 27 June 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