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

Reddington immediately asked Judge Sullivan to remove the dissenting juror, and a long, heated scrum followed at the bench. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Moro scored for Argentina from a free kick after a five meter scrum after Australia had defended stoutly with 14 men, with Harry Potter in the sin bin. — ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026

By contrast, Rubio’s role as Secretary of State keeps him in the public eye and largely above the partisan scrum Vance excels at but can also turn off voters. — Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 28 Aug. 2026

What follows is a transcript of the 10-minute conversation with a small scrum of reporters. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

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