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

New AIs can be tracked over JIRA with either a PMP or a scrum lead. —Kaushik Srinivasan, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

In a sight that became more-than-familiar to Boise State fans, Jeanty seemed to be swallowed in the scrum at the line of scrimmage, before bursting out of the side and powering himself into the endzone. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 7 Sep. 2025

Belichick moved nowhere without a scrum. —Paige Williams, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025

Elsewhere, Kayshon Boutte answered a late prayer, a veteran edge rusher is on the rise, Vrabel jumped into another scrum and suddenly, a productive receiver has a case of the butterfingers. —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 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