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

During his scrum, Judge highlighted LeMahieu’s willingness to play any position during his prime, as well as his determination to play through pain. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025

They are nearly fully consumed with the AI hostility scrum that is afoot. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025

The identities of four others who remained missing were unknown and officials at Thursday’s news conference refused to answer any questions from reporters or the relatives among the scrum. —Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2025

Jackson and Allen exchanged words when Reese pulled Allen away from the scrum. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 25 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