1
a
or scrummage : 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recently, Eagles safety Reed Blankenship addressed the loss of Gardner-Johnson to a scrum of reporters, wishing Gardner-Johnson well while remaining confident in his squad. Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025 Over at Roland Garros, Djokovic has just finished answering questions from a scrum of journalists after his straight-sets win against Misolic to reach the French Open fourth round. Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 1 June 2025 Venture capitalists have written large checks to a scrum of startups to find new ways to apply artificial intelligence to just about everything. Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025 The Packers, who lost to the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs last season, have been among several teams voicing their distaste for the evolution of the traditional quarterback sneak into an all-out scrum. Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for scrum

Word History

Etymology

short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of scrum was in 1848

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrum. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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