scrum

noun

\ ˈskrəm

Definition of scrum

1a 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

2a British : madhouse sense 2

b : a usually tightly packed or disorderly crowd : throng

Other Words from scrum Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about scrum

Keep scrolling for more

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

That certainly beat the scrum going on around the Whitworths. — Barry Wilner, The Seattle Times, "Media night more like a mosh pit and Mardi Gras," 29 Jan. 2019 In 1976, women joined the scrum for the first time. — Marissa J. Lang, Washington Post, "‘Plebes no more’: After 2 hours 9 minutes, Naval Academy freshmen conquer greased monument," 21 May 2018 Amused with the scrum that had formed around Mr. Chaudhary, a man in a white dhoti spoke up in English from the back of the crowd, announcing himself as Kailash Mishra, the landowner who employed the girl’s father in his fields. — Kai Schultz And Suhasini Raj, New York Times, "Uphill Battle Against Child Marriage Is Being Won in India, for Now," 6 Mar. 2018 When protests erupted among the liberal population, far-right elements were attracted to the scrum, and violence broke out in a once peaceful place. — Kristi Turnquist, OregonLive.com, "Sunday's '60 Minutes' will ask, is Portland still 'Portlandia?'," 11 Jan. 2018 Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal’s last order of business before the first postgame media scrum of his young Major League Soccer career was to inscribe his first piece of MLS memorabilia. — Todd Engle Special To The Star, kansascity, "Youngster's first MLS goal keys united Sporting KC attack vs. Minnesota," 3 June 2018 Nikita Kucherov added two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves in the game that had a major scrum with 23 seconds to go. — Tom Canavan, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Devils rally to handle Lightning 5-2 in Game 3," 16 Apr. 2018 Push past the scrum of photographers snapping shots of street style stars. — Maya Singer, Vogue, "I Took Bangladeshi Photographer Activist Taslima Akhter to New York Fashion Week—Here’s What Happened," 5 Oct. 2018 The two have teamed up to offer reduced rate membership to Delta Skymiles members and the ability to use biometric scans to gain entry to airport lounges (and avoid the scrum of weary fliers waiting to show their membership card or boarding pass). — Barbara Peterson, Condé Nast Traveler, "Delta Brings Biometric Boarding to Detroit Airport," 19 July 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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about scrum

Dictionary Entries near scrum

Statistics for scrum

Last Updated

23 Feb 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for scrum

The first known use of scrum was in 1848

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for scrum

scrum

noun

English Language Learners Definition of scrum

: 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

See the full definition for scrum in the English Language Learners Dictionary