scrum

noun \ ˈskrəm \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Definition of scrum

1 a or scrummage play \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 2

b : a usually tightly packed or disorderly crowd : throng

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scrummage

intransitive verb

See scrum defined for English-language learners

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 of scrum from the Web

After a national reporter unbound by the agreement scooped the first three picks and a noteworthy trade, everyone jumped back into the scrum.

— kevin draper, New York Times, "ESPN and Others Try to Restrain Reporters for N.B.A. Draft, to No Avail," 21 June 2018
Subaru may have the love of its earthy crunchy, environmentally conscious, outdoors-loving adherents, but the Japanese carmaker is waiting to jump into theelectric vehicle scrum.

— david rovella, Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 5 June 2018
Stepping to the middle of the media scrum, Joshua Casher instantly lit up.

— michael casagrande, AL.com, "Undersized but with big personality, Alabama senior in mix for starting job," 6 Apr. 2018
After the show, my daughter wriggled her way to the front of the scrum at the stage door with her Playbill.

— sam walker, WSJ, "Now on Broadway: SpongeBob ChauvinistPants," 11 July 2018
Buescher took a whack at the ball from the middle of a scrum.

— matt le cren, Naperville Sun, "Breakthrough: Katelynn Buescher's goal sends Naperville North girls soccer to first state berth since 2013," 29 May 2018
It was worn by his wife, Nicky, who, Hardy joked, might have been the only person that wanted his now-popular post-game media scrum to wrap up.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers Blaine Hardy is the main man against White Sox," 27 May 2018
In the play, the kingdom ruled by Titania and Oberon is collapsing because of their internal scrums and bickering.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "Farm bill, immigration redux, Ryan's potential ouster, like a Shakespeare 'play within a play'," 26 May 2018
To be fair, the governor answered questions earlier in the day from a scrum of reporters gathered at the State House.

— shirley leung, BostonGlobe.com, "We tried to ask Charlie Baker a question. Here’s what happened," 6 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of scrum

short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1857

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Field and Goal Sports Terms

crease, lateral, lax, overthrow, playbook, post, screen, secondary, ultimate

SCRUM Defined for English Language Learners

scrum

noun

Definition of scrum for English Language Learners

rugby : a way of starting play again in which players from each team come together and try to get control of the ball by pushing against each other and using their feet when the ball is thrown in between them
: the group of players who are involved in a scrum
: a large group of people who are close together in one place